Flames of Arousal (5 page)

The heavy, silver-white door slid open. Brianna stepped inside the Initiation Chamber and hit the seal button on the wall. With a soft whirr, the wide panel eased closed, locking her in.

The ventilation shaft circulated fresh air into the room, along with a slightly spicy scent she recognized as an aphrodisiac. The ceremony chamber, set up much like guest quarters, offered comfort by its familiar surroundings and helped ease any tension present in those performing or receiving the Rite of the Lair.

In the middle of the room, and far from comforted, the man going berserk stopped.

He looked her dead in the eye.

Brianna froze. Her pulse did the exact opposite, kicking into a staccato rhythm.

Face-to-face, she got a better look at him, and a sense of familiarity struck her hard.

The intense brown eyes, the short brown hair, squared jaw with a shadow of whiskers, muscular body without an ounce of fat—she knew him. Her body knew him and responded to his nearness. Her nipples hardened, her pussy clenched, perspiration dotted her skin. A strong sense of need—for him—flooded her entire being.

As she stared at him, the dark hair on his chest drew her attention. The soft-looking curls narrowed into a thin line, leading down to a more impressive cock than she’d expected on an Earth man.
Oh
,
my
. Semi-hard, in his anger, the purplish-red staff looked as thick and long as any Warrior’s. The wide head made her mouth water for a taste. Fully hard, he’d be…goodness. Her tongue eased out to moisten her bottom lip.

A low growl filled the room.

Her gaze snapped up to his. For a moment, she thought recognition flashed in his eyes. And lust. But no. Though he seemed familiar, she didn’t actually know him. She couldn’t. Her perception of him must be a mistake. She’d remember meeting this man, and all the details of such, if they’d ever really had any association with each other. And the lust was simply in reaction to the chemicals he’d been given—nothing more and perfectly expected.

He put down the slat-backed metal chair he was holding, which he had been about to toss across the room. But the man still looked anything but relaxed. His breathing remained labored. His nostrils flared. His hands opened and closed, forming fists, then his fingers stretched to their full length, only to curl back into tight fists once again. He was definitely in great shape from whatever training he’d received on Earth. She wouldn’t underestimate him or his potential power.

Brianna looked toward two Class 3 females on the far side of the room, standing warily in the corner, hovering near a panic button installed in each room for emergencies. “Where is your Class 1 leader?” They didn’t have the skills needed to initiate someone alone, especially not a high-priority case like this one, which had turned difficult.

“We don’t have one, ma’am,” the short blonde-haired Warrior answered.

Brianna’s eyes narrowed. “Explain.” Almost all lower ranks were assigned a leader.

And almost all Initiations involved an Alliance of Three, as the Lair referred to the group of Warriors who performed this rite.

“Tara Koll was our trainer. We haven’t been reassigned yet.”

Ah. So Tara was supposed to lead the Initiation of this one, before her demotion.

Now, she wouldn’t even be allowed to train lower ranks. Too bad. Especially in this case, for her sister could handle any man—Earthling or otherwise. So much for Laszlo’s special project.

She wondered if Tara knew about the planned Initiation. Sometimes an Alliance wasn’t announced until right before the time came to perform the rite. When she got the chance, she’d ask her sister, for someone had made the decision to go ahead with this, even without a Class 1 Warrior present. Although, maybe she’d be better off simply researching Laszlo’s special project later on her own to find out the details. She had enough clearance. And if not, Torque could probably break into whatever file she needed to see.

If they didn’t complete the Initiation now, Briggs would go insane. He looked halfway there already. She couldn’t allow him to suffer. “We’re here to help you,” she told him, speaking slowly, hoping he would understand.

He looked at her like a trapped, enraged animal. And that’s probably exactly how he felt too, after being plucked from his home planet and brought to some alien world he never even knew existed.

“I know you’re feeling like your insides are being torn apart. We can help, if you let us.” Every moment that passed brought him closer to the point of no return.

He shook his head, but not so much in denial as in disbelief, she thought.

“I’m going to approach you.” She had to gain his trust, and quickly.

“Ma’am,” the blonde warned. “That’s not a good idea. We’re unable to call for medical help should he injure you.”

“It’ll be fine.” For most injuries, Warriors could self-heal if they’d completed all three steps of the Initiation process. She’d gone through her Initiation years ago.

Besides, though she knew the man was well-trained, she possessed just as much if not more training. She was perfectly capable of defending herself. With a soft smile, she looked at him and slowly stepped forward. “You’re not going to hurt me. Are you, Colonel?”

The use of his rank seemed to surprise him and calm him somewhat. She’d hoped it might. Carefully, she reached her hand toward him.

In a flash, he grabbed her outstretched hand and yanked her against his chest.

“Brianna!” the other Warrior, a red-haired female shouted.

“It’s all right,” she replied calmly to the two women who’d started toward them, ready to defend her. “Stay back.” She looked up at Briggs. “See. No retaliation. We won’t hurt you, if you don’t hurt us.” She purposely hadn’t countered his move, wanting him to lower his guard around her.

His gaze darted toward the blonde and redhead, then back at her. “What—” He kept swallowing, as if having trouble speaking. “What’s happening?” he growled.

“I don’t know the details of why you’re here, Colonel, but what we call an Initiation has been started on you. It’s a sexual process used to protect Warriors and Breeders from diseases and poisons, and also to prepare the body for mating purposes.”

His brow arched at the term “sexual process” and his eyes widened considerably at

“mating purposes”.

“Why an Earth man is being put through the rite, I don’t understand. Your procedure was ordered by a former leader, and the order was never canceled. The chemicals we used have increased your sexual desire. You must allow us to finish the ceremony and sate you, or your mind may snap due to the imbalance now in your brain. That’s why you’re feeling confused.” She was also concerned about the liquid transfer of chemicals to him. Either they hadn’t worked properly because of the procedure, a defect in the formula, or because of his Earth physiology. Violence should not be a side effect, so no telling what was really going on inside his system right now.

“Sate me?”

“Sexually.”

A smile tugged at his full, firm-looking lips. “You?”

Her heart rate kicked up at the look of interest on his face. Yes. She’d need to take over for Tara, in order to save this man’s life. “The three of us.”

Again, his gaze darted toward the other two. His hold tightened around her waist, almost painfully. “You’re lying. This is a…military facility. Not some sort of…brothel.”

His words came out roughly, not flowing in a normal tone. No doubt another side effect of the chemicals.

It pleased her that he’d been able, even in his present state, to come to a correct conclusion about his surroundings. She’d always admired intelligence and deductive reasoning in a man, finding it oh-so sexy. Apparently, his mind was as well-toned as his body. She leaned into him, relaxing against his torso. Her lips brushed his bare chest, almost as if by accident. But her move was no accident. Her tongue eased out to caress his skin. At the moist contact, he jerked. And he moaned, though he tried to cover the sound with a forced cough.

“Your body needs us,” she explained, savoring the flavor of his skin on her tongue.

“Let me go.” Her voice lowered. “Let me suck your cock, Colonel.” She felt his body’s immediate reaction to her words. “Sam…please. I feel your need.” She felt her own need increasing too.

The use of his given name seemed to crumple his defenses. “Oh, fucking yeah,” he groaned, pushing her down to her knees. “Do it.”

* * * * *

Sand Moon

Kam looked around the mostly-bare, gray-walled room. No windows existed here, of course, since they were underground. But no picturescapes either, as hung prevalently in the Lair—framed images that could be activated into motion by the touch of a button. Nor did any reflective objects hang on the walls to lessen the closed-in feeling. A bare mattress lay on the equally-bare floor. The room felt cold, impersonal.

Nothing like the comfortable Initiation Chambers he’d grown accustomed to.

“Your re-initiation will take place here,” Frost explained, her tone and expression all business. “We will conduct the ceremony now. I see no point in waiting.” She looked at him as if expecting a protest.

Or maybe that was just his imagination. She obviously wanted him converted as soon as possible, before he entertained second thoughts about betraying his people.

Once more, he glanced around the room while he got his bearings and prepared himself for what was to come. “Posh.”

Frost’s sudden laughter surprised him. The sound filled the room, echoing off the walls and softening her features. He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened in her life to make her so cold. Deep down, he still saw glimpses of a woman who had probably once served Xylon well. Combined with her beauty and intelligence, he saw how Braden and Torque must have been taken in by her.

“After the ceremony begins, you won’t notice the surroundings.” She pressed a button on a control panel next to the door. “Send them in.”

Kam’s heart rate kicked up. This was it. If he didn’t survive… No. He wouldn’t think such thoughts. With the help of the special elements added to his system, he could do this. He had to.

The door swung open, and his three initiators walked in. Oh, shit. “Moon minions?”

“Yes. Minions always do the re-initiations for Daegal when they’re conducted on the Sand Moon. I guess that’s not really common knowledge to most Warriors.

Initiations don’t take place here often. Does it make a difference?”

“And if I said it did?”

“You really don’t have a choice, Kam.”

As he figured. “Well then, I suppose we go ahead with the ceremony.” He hated the idea, but he couldn’t abandon his mission because of it. He wondered if she’d chosen minions on purpose, simply to make the re-initiation rougher for him. Somehow, his wrist sensor couldn’t pick up her intent. Strange.

Things could have been worse, he supposed. They could have been Egesa. They could even have been males.

The three females appeared clad in some beige, formfitting material—almost like a second layer of skin. One was a lizard minion, not an Egesa, but a crossbreed. Her tongue slithered out of her mouth, then retracted. Slanted eyes and long black hair gave her somewhat of a Terra-Asian type of appearance from what he remembered of his studies and visits to Earth. Her nails stretched almost as long as his fingers. For a minion, she looked more attractive than most.

The two blondes who’d entered looked to be twins. Not quite a twin sexual fantasy come true. They stood rail thin with huge tits and extra-long nipples, visible through their outfits, so out of proportion they weren’t a bit enticing. Their lips were also larger than normal, giving them a swollen appearance. They looked strangely like camel minions under the stark lights. The camel was an Earth-specific animal though, with no crossbreeding on other planets that he was aware of. Since that minion breed wasn’t actually possible, their exact genetics remained a mystery to him.

“I’ll leave you in their capable hands,” Frost said. “Next time I see you, you’ll be a changed man, Kam.” She brushed his cheek with her fingers. “Welcome to your new life.” Frost turned and left the room, the door clicking closed behind her.

Silence hung heavily in the air. The minions circled him like stalking prey.

He had no idea what to expect or how to act around them to make things easier on himself. “Do you…ladies…talk?” He’d feel better if they did. He checked his wrist sensor again, but didn’t pick up anything, as if they had no feelings at all, which he knew wasn’t true. Somehow they were blocking him and the sensor. Or maybe the room contained some sort of shielding, which would also account for his inability to read Frost. He’d have to rely on his own abilities in here.

A click drew his attention to the corner ceiling. A vid-recorder. Frost most likely watched from somewhere nearby. He was surprised she hadn’t just stayed in the room with them to direct things. Seemed to him that she’d get a thrill out of controlling his transformation. Maybe he’d misjudged her.

The twins grabbed his arms and forced him down to the mattress, on his stomach.

“Take it easy. Damn.” Their strength amazed him, considering how thin they were.

Though he could overpower them, he didn’t fight.

With very little effort, they stripped off his coat and then his uniform.
Here we go
.

Naked and vulnerable, he awaited his fate, watching the females as best he could from his position. He’d allow them to perform the rite, but if they tried to double-cross and terminate him, he was prepared to fight his way out of here, if need be. Minions would be no match for him. Frost’s guards might defeat him. But he’d deal with one problem at a time.