Gathering Darkness: A Paranormal Romance Collection Read online

  Interpreting that as consent, he brought her toward him, burying one hand in her hair and keeping the other on the small of her back. Putting her own hands on his clothed shoulders, Mia closed her eyes and felt him press small butterfly-light kisses on her cheeks, forehead, and closed lids. By the time his soft lips reached her mouth, she was nearly squirming with anticipation.

  At first, he kissed her very lightly, just brushing her mouth with his. Then he began gently nibbling on her lips, carefully teasing the rim with his tongue. She moaned, her body pressing closer to his, and he pushed his tongue into her mouth, penetrating it in an obvious imitation of the sexual act. A rush of moisture inundated her already wet sex as he alternated fucking her mouth with his tongue and lightly sucking on her swollen and sensitive lips.

  Lost in the sensations, Mia only vaguely registered his unfastening of her bra. Tearing his mouth away from hers, he kissed her ear, sucking carefully on her earlobe. She arched with pleasure, knees buckling and head falling back, and he took advantage, licking and sucking his way down the delicate column of her throat and the collarbone region until his hot mouth reached the small white globes of her breasts. “So pretty,” he whispered, before pulling one pink nipple into his mouth and scraping it softly with his teeth. Mia cried out, her clit throbbing on the verge of orgasm, and he gave her other breast the same treatment, holding her tightly as she writhed in his arms, maddeningly close to finding relief. He held her like that, pausing for a few seconds until the sensation waned a bit, and then lifted her astride one of his bent legs, grinding her jean-clad pussy firmly against his knee and swallowing her scream with his mouth as the long-awaited climax rushed powerfully through her body.

  Collapsing bonelessly against him, Mia felt her inner muscles pulsing with little aftershocks. Without waiting for her to recover, Korum got up, lifting her in his arms, and lowered her onto the bed. Stripping off his own clothes with a speed that made her blink, he climbed over her, unzipped her jeans, and pulled them off together with her panties.

  Lying there completely naked, Mia was unpleasantly reminded of the pain that followed the last time she was in this position. However, despite the large cock jutting aggressively at her, all he did was gently kiss his way down her body, starting with the sensitive spot near her shoulder and ending near her lower belly. She tensed in anticipation, and he did not disappoint. Pulling open her legs with strong hands, he bent his head and gently licked her folds, avoiding direct contact with the clitoris. Mia was surprised to feel herself getting turned on again, just minutes after her last orgasm. One long finger slowly entered her opening, pressing carefully on some sensitive spot deep inside, while his tongue flicked over her nub in an accelerating rhythm. There was no slow build-up this time; instead, her body simply spasmed around his finger, releasing the tension that had managed to coil inside her in a matter of seconds.

  Stunned, Mia lay there. At some point, she must have grabbed his head because her fingers were buried in his short glossy strands. Feeling irrationally embarrassed, she let go, pulling her hands away. He slowly took his finger out, making her sex clench with a residual tremor, and licked it while looking up at her. Mia nearly moaned again.

  He sat up, still maintaining eye contact with her. Mia realized that he was still extremely hard, not having come yet. She licked her lips nervously, wondering what he intended. His eyes hungrily followed her tongue, and she suddenly knew what he wanted her to do.

  Sitting up herself, Mia cautiously extended her hand and gently brushed against his shaft with her fingers, feeling its smooth hardness. To her surprise, it jumped in her hand, as though alive. Mia’s eyes flew up to Korum’s face, and what she saw there was reassuring. He looked like he was in pain, eyes tightly shut and sweat beading up near his temples. Feeling her pause, he opened his eyes and hoarsely whispered, “Go ahead.”

  Emboldened, Mia wrapped her fingers around his cock and slowly stroked it in an up-and-down motion, the way she’d seen it done in porn. Her hand looked white and small wrapped around his thickness, and she wondered how it had ever fit inside her. He groaned at her action, his whole body tensing, and Mia suddenly felt very empowered. To know that she had this effect on him, that this formidable creature was at the mercy of her touch—somehow that went a long way toward restoring the balance of power in a relationship that had been very one-sided thus far.

  Deciding to take things further, she got on her knees and bent over him. Her dark curls brushing against his thighs, she tentatively licked the engorged head. He hissed, thrusting his hips toward her, and she smiled, reveling in her ability to control him like this. Holding his shaft with one hand, she cupped his heavy balls with the other hand and squeezed gently, exploring the unfamiliar part with curiosity. “Mia . . .” he groaned, and she smiled, pleased. She wanted to wring an even stronger response from his body, the way he had from hers. Still holding his balls, she carefully wrapped her lips around the tip of his cock and swirled her tongue around it inside her mouth while moving her other hand on his shaft in a rhythmic motion. He let out a hoarse cry, his hips bucking, and she felt a warm, slightly salty liquid spurting out into her mouth. Surprised and delighted, Mia let him go, watching as the rest of the thick cream-colored fluid landed on his bronzed stomach. There was a strange taste in her mouth—not unpleasant—and she wondered briefly if there were differences between K and human semen. His cock was still twitching slightly before her eyes, even as it began to diminish in size.

  Looking up, Mia found him staring at her with a smile. “Have you ever done this before?” he asked, motioning toward his sex.

  Mia shook her head in response. For some weird reason, she had never wanted to go past a few kisses with any of the guys she’d dated in the past.

  “Well, then, you’re a natural,” he said, his smile getting even wider. Reaching somewhere under the bed, he pulled out a box of tissues and used one to wipe his stomach. Mia blinked, wondering what else he kept under there. After cleaning himself, he got up and walked to the door completely naked. “Shower?” he asked, and Mia gladly agreed, following him to the bathroom.

  They got into the giant shower stall together, and Korum set the water controls to have warm water raining at them from all directions. Pouring shampoo into his hand, he massaged it into her hair, washing it with experienced movements. Eyes closed, Mia just stood there, enjoying the feel of his fingers on her scalp and the water pouring over her sensitized skin. Afterwards, he washed her entire body, making her blush with his thoroughness. Feeling slightly shy, Mia tentatively reciprocated, rubbing soap all over his golden skin and powerful muscles. He unashamedly took pleasure in her touch, arching into it like a big cat getting stroked.

  When they were done, he dried her body with a thick towel and then toweled off himself. Relaxed from the warm water and the two orgasms, Mia felt a wave of drowsiness washing over her. Noticing her barely stifled yawn, Korum picked her up and carried her back to bed. Putting her in the middle, he pulled a soft blanket toward them and lay down next to her, hugging her from the back. Feeling oddly comforted by the feel of his large body curving around her own, Mia closed her eyes and fell asleep easily for the first time since her world got turned upside down by the extraterrestrial lying next to her.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Streaming sunlight woke up Mia the next morning.

  Keeping her eyes closed against the brightness, Mia thought with a minor annoyance that she must’ve forgotten to close the blinds last night. It didn’t matter, though; she felt well-rested and extremely comfortable. Perhaps too comfortable? At the sudden realization that the bed she was lying on was much too soft to be her own IKEA mattress, Mia jackknifed to a sitting position and stared in shock at her surroundings. Memories of yesterday rushed into her brain, and she recognized where she was.

  She was also completely naked and alone.

  Pulling the blanket up to her chest, Mia warily surveyed the room. She was sitting in the middle of the giant round bed—she gu
esstimated it had to be at least fifteen feet in diameter—in Korum’s beautifully decorated bedroom. A few potted plants were thriving near the large window that looked out over the Hudson River.

  Noticing the robe and slippers that Korum must have left for her, she put them on and went in search of the restroom. Surprisingly, there wasn’t one connected to the bedroom. Peeking out into the hallway, Mia spotted the bathroom door. She made a quick beeline for it, not wanting Korum to know that she was awake yet.

  After taking care of business, Mia gratefully brushed her teeth with the toothbrush that he left for her and washed her face. Staring into the bedroom mirror, she was surprised to see that she actually looked quite well. Her pale skin was almost radiant, and her eyes looked unusually bright. Even her hair—the bane of her existence—seemed silkier, with dark brown curls glossy and nicely defined. Whatever shampoo he had used on her yesterday clearly worked miracles. As did orgasms, apparently.

  Mia wondered where her clothes were. Her tummy rumbled, reminding her that the dinner last night was already in the distant past. Still wearing the robe, she decided to go in search of food.

  Entering the living room, Mia heard voices coming from somewhere to her left.

  Thinking that Korum might be watching TV, she headed in that direction. The voices got louder, and she realized that they were speaking in a foreign language she’d never heard before. Slightly guttural, it nonetheless flowed smoothly, unlike anything she was familiar with.

  Mia’s breath caught.

  She had to be listening to the Krinar language—which meant that Korum likely had visitors, and there were other Ks in the house. This might be her chance to learn something useful, she realized even as her heart skipped a beat.

  Quietly approaching the room, she was startled when the heavy doors abruptly slid open in front of her, revealing its occupants and exposing her to their eyes.

  Korum and two other Ks stood around a large table that had some kind of a three-dimensional image displayed on it. At the sight of her, Korum waved his hand and the image vanished, leaving only a smooth wooden surface.

  Mia froze as three pairs of alien eyes examined her.

  The expression on Korum’s face was cold and distant, unlike anything she’d seen before. The other male K, about Korum’s height, had brown hair and hazel eyes, with a similarly golden skin tone. The female was a bit lighter-skinned, closer to Jessie’s color, and the silky hair streaming down to her waist was an unusual shade of dark red. Her eyes were nearly black and looked enormous in her strikingly beautiful face. She was also tall, probably close to 5’9”, and wore a dress that looked like it had been poured on her curves. She could have easily stepped off the pages of an old Victoria’s Secret catalogue—if they had first air-brushed the image, of course.

  Standing there in her bath robe, Mia felt like a naughty child getting caught stealing from a cookie jar.

  There was no help for it. She cleared her throat, heart pounding in her chest. “Um, hi. I was just looking for the kitchen—”

  A small smile appeared on Korum’s face, warming up his features, and his distant look vanished. “Of course,” he said, “you must be hungry.”

  He turned toward his visitors. “Mia, these are my . . . colleagues,” he said, seeming to hesitate slightly at the last word, “Leeta and Rezav.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Mia said politely, eyeing them with caution.

  She had a strong impression that those two were not happy to see her. Leeta stared back, her beautiful mouth pinched with dislike. Rezav was a bit friendlier, curving his lips in a half-smile and inclining his head graciously toward her. Speaking to Korum, he asked him something in their language, to which Korum absently nodded in response.

  “Okay, well, I didn’t mean to intrude,” Mia apologized, her pulse roaring in her ears. “I’ll leave you to your work.”

  Korum gestured toward the kitchen. “Feel free to grab some fruit or whatever you wish. I’ll join you soon.”

  With a muttered thanks, Mia escaped as fast as her shaking legs could carry her.

  Entering the kitchen, she sank down on one of the chairs, hugging herself protectively. Her head spun in a sickening manner, and her stomach churned with nausea.

  Because in Rezav’s question, spoken entirely in Krinar, Mia had caught one familiar word: charl.

  ***

  By the time Korum came to the kitchen, Mia had managed to compose herself.

  At his entrance, she gave him a small smile and continued eating her blueberries as though she had not a care in the world—as though she had not just heard him confirm her worst fears.

  He came toward her and bent down, thoroughly kissing her mouth. For the first time, Mia simply endured his touch, the bile in her stomach too strong to allow her normal sexual response.

  She didn’t know why she’d needed this confirmation. For the most part, she had believed John when he’d told her about the Ks and their atavistic approach to human rights. Yet some small part of her must have been clinging to the hope that John was mistaken—that Korum would feel differently about her, that she was somehow special in his eyes.

  To hear him admit that she was his glorified sex slave—his human pet—was like being punched repeatedly in the stomach.

  If he had treated her with cruelty from the very beginning, it would have been easy to hate him. Instead, his arrogance toward her was often tempered with tenderness—and that made the whole thing so much worse. Despite her better judgment and common sense, he had succeeded in getting under her skin, and today’s revelation felt like the cruelest of betrayals.

  Sensing her lack of response, he pulled away and frowned slightly. “What’s the matter?” he asked, perplexed. “Are you feeling all right?”

  Mia’s brain worked quickly. It would be dangerous for her—and for the Resistance—if he knew she had understood Rezav’s question. However, she couldn’t hide the fact that she was upset—Korum was too astute for that. Suddenly, a risky but brilliant idea came to her.

  “I’m fine,” she said with quiet dignity, obviously lying.

  “Uh-huh,” Korum said sarcastically, “sure you are.”

  Sitting down next to her, he lifted her chin toward him so he could look into her eyes. “Now tell me again what’s going on.”

  Mia felt a furious tear escape. “Nothing,” she told him angrily.

  “Mia,” he said her name in that special tone he reserved for intimidating her. “Stop lying to me.”

  Staring directly into his beautiful eyes, Mia channeled all of her frustrated fury and irrational feelings of betrayal into her next words. “How often do you fuck her?” she threw at him, summoning up remembered feelings of jealousy at his familiarity with Ashley the hostess. “In general, how many women do you go through in any given day? Two, three, a dozen?”

  At the surprised look on his face, she continued, injecting as much bitterness into her tone as possible, “Why are you even forcing me to be here if you have her? And Ashley, and God knows how many others?”

  Still holding her chin with his fingers, Korum said slowly, “Are you talking about Leeta? You think we’re somehow involved?”

  Mia allowed another tear to slide down her face. “Aren’t you?”

  He shook his head. “No. In fact, we’re actually distant cousins, so that would be an impossibility.”

  “Oh,” Mia said, pretending to be embarrassed about her outburst. She tried to pull away, and he let her go, watching as she got up and walked over to the window, carelessly wiping her face with the robe sleeve.

  Mia stood there, looking out over the Hudson. Some stupidly romantic part of her was foolishly glad to hear about Leeta, even though her little jealousy act had been designed to throw him off track. She didn’t say anything when he came up to her, embracing her from behind. He didn’t make any promises or offer any other clarifications, Mia noticed. Of course, why should he try to reassure her, to convince her that she meant something special to him
when she clearly didn’t? She wouldn’t have been particularly concerned about her dog’s feelings either.

  “I’m thinking of going for a walk in the park,” he murmured, still holding her close. “Would you like to come with me?”

  She was to be given a choice? What would happen if she said no? “I don’t know,” she said. “I have some studying that needs to get done, and I wanted to catch up with my parents. Wednesday is usually our day to Skype . . .”

  She couldn’t see his expression, and she was glad about that. Now he would show his true colors, she thought.

  “Okay,” he said, “that sounds good.”

  Mia blinked, surprised. Then he continued, “For tonight, I made us a reservation at Le Bernardin at 7 p.m. I’ll pick you up at 6:30. Since you don’t seem to have any nice clothes, I’ll have something appropriate sent to your apartment.”

  Now that was the dictator she knew—and now truly hated.

  “I don’t need any clothes,” Mia protested. “I have better dresses. I just didn’t wear them that time.”

  Turning her around in his arms, he looked down and smiled. “Mia, no offense, but I haven’t seen you wear a single piece of clothing that was in any way flattering. You’re a very pretty girl, but your clothes make you look like a ten-year-old boy most of the time. I think it’s safe to say that dressing nicely is not one of your strengths.”

  Mia flushed with anger and embarrassment, but decided to hold her tongue. If he wanted to dress her up like a doll, then let him. It was hardly the worst thing he would likely do to her, anyway.

  At the mutinous expression on her face, his smile got wider and his eyes gleamed with gold. Lifting her by the waist, he brought her up toward him and kissed her again. His lips were softly searching on hers, and his tongue stroked the recesses of her mouth with such expertise that Mia felt a spark of desire kindling again. Relieved that she no longer had to act, she looped her arms around his neck, let her mind go blank, and focused on the sensations. Her body, already so used to his touch, reacted with animal instinct, and she kissed him back with all the passion she could muster.