HeroRevealed (5 page)

“I think you’ve killed me,” she whispered, running her hands
down his spine, hesitant to break the connection though she knew she should.

His deep laugh vibrated down to his cock that was still hard
inside her. “Then they can bury me beside you. Come, let me take proper care of
you.”

He carried her to the bedroom and pulled back the covers on
her bed with one hand. Goose bumps erupted over her skin when her back hit the
cool sheets until he climbed in next to her and took away the chill. He pulled
the comforter up to her chin and wrapped her in his arms. In seconds, he was
fast asleep.

The dark crescent of his lashes looked incredibly long on
his cheeks and drew attention to the dark circles under his eyes. She hadn’t
forgotten he had been ill after he pulled them from the tunnel. The frantic
bout of lovemaking might have indicated otherwise, but Kristos was not at his
full strength. Her smile trembled at the corners. Heaven help her if he had
been.

Careful to not wake him, she leaned forward for a soft kiss.
A tear spilled down her cheek and pooled between their lips, turning the kiss
salty and bittersweet.

Slipping free from his hold was easier then she anticipated,
which only spoke of his exhaustion. Fatigue beat at her as well, but she knew
sleep would be as elusive as catching smoke.

She collected a change of clothing and escaped into the
bathroom, purposely turning away from the mirror. She couldn’t handle seeing
the woman who had been taken to a depth of ecstasy she would never see again.

The soft yoga pants and t-shirt weren’t classy, but
sufficient for the cause. Instinct told her that the inevitable confrontation
was going to get heated, and she did her best thinking when she was fully
dressed.

After gathering a few essentials from the living room, she
returned and sat in the armchair in the corner of the room. She may doze for
bit, but when he awoke she’d be ready.

Chapter Five

Kristos bit back a moan as every muscle in his body throbbed
in both pain and pleasure. Something in that mine affected his powers and damn
if he knew what it was. It was as if a sickening lethargy settled in his limbs,
sapping him of his strength. It made him feel…human, or at least how he
imagined a human felt, which was something that didn’t sound all that horrible.
However, he needed all of his powers in top form if he was to have a mate as
stubborn as Brett.

He smiled and settled deeper into the pillows as he
remembered the look on her face when he spoke the words that bound them
together forever. She might not have understood the actual words, but she
comprehended their joining was more than just fantastic sex. Her heart had been
in his hand and her body milking him dry in the most explosive orgasm he had
ever imagined. All that was needed to complete the ritual was her mind to meld
with his and they would be bonded.

On his planet of gases and ice, it was easier to communicate
empathically than with words. When a man and woman mated, their emotions weaved
together like a tapestry, enabling them to sense their spouse no matter how far
apart they may be. It was a private ritual where each person gave the other
their entire being, mind, body and soul, in an exchange of trust so profound
that it left a physical mark more permanent than any ring. A union like that
was not taken lightly, and many of his kind never found that someone special
enough to speak the sacred words.

As he anticipated, Brett shut down at the last moment,
preventing the connection to complete. Disappointment of her rejection was
fleeting. It was only a matter of time before she accepted him as her other
half. Of that he had no doubt.

Smiling again, he reached for his woman, only to find
emptiness at his side. The sheets were icy to the touch and his hearts dropped
into his stomach. Had the night before been a dream, an illusion caused by the
mysterious illness? Please Gods, let it not be so.

He jerked upright, half afraid to find himself alone in his
giant bed with only a pillow for company, or worse, alone in Brett’s bed while
she was off placing herself in danger.

His eyesight adjusted to the soft light coming from a lamp
on the nightstand that was, thankfully, not his. Brett’s room, blessed be. He
started to relax then straightened in alarm when he spotted her in the shadows.

The woman sitting in the chair with deceptive casualness was
one he was all too familiar with and shouldn’t have been surprised to see
again. Yes, it might have been arrogant to think one fiery encounter would
shatter all her reservations where they, as a couple, were concerned, but he
had hoped that by making love, some of the ice she harbored around her heart
would melt. Despite the appearance of the beginnings of his mark, she was still
miles away from true acceptance.

Although not in uniform, she was definitely in full
sheriff-mode, with her hair pulled in a tight braid and her body clothed from
neck to ankles. She was glacier still, and the calm determination he sensed
coiled inside her had both his hearts beating in triple time. He wasn’t sure
what concerned him more, the purpose he saw in her eyes or the loaded Glock
that lay in her lap.

“Hey, there you are.” He flashed what he hoped was his
sexiest smile and held out his hand. “Come back to bed,
alskata
, I’m
cold.” Just because he knew there was a storm brewing didn’t mean he had to
acknowledge it.

“What are you?”

It was difficult not to flinch at the subtle emphasis placed
on the word “what”.

“I’m sleepy and aching for you.” He patted the mattress.
“Come back to bed.”

Her hand covered the gun’s grip. “What are you?” she asked
again in a smooth, even tone that set him on edge more than if she had shouted.

“What’s with the gun, Brett?”

“I’m being cautious. What are you?”

“Do you honestly think I’m a danger to you?” He battled with
the flare of hurt sparked by her fear. “Why did you let me touch you if you thought
I would hurt you?”

Her eyes darkened and her throat worked as she swallowed.
When she answered, the vulnerability in her voice sliced through his hurt. “I—I
wanted to know what it would be like to be with you when you were still just a
man.”

“I am just a man.”

“I’m not stupid.” She jumped to her feet with a shout. “What
are you?”

Kristos sighed. The time had come. Revealing his true self
was a gamble. Not only was he putting his future with Brett in jeopardy, but if
his brother had any idea what he was about to do, Lucian would be pounding down
the door and demanding his head. But Lucian had never loved another as Kristos
did Brett, and some things were worth the risk.

He nodded and tightened his grip on the sheet at his waist.
Now he understood why she was completely dressed. He was vulnerable enough,
exposing his soul, without the added disadvantage of his cock straining for
attention only she could give. “I’ll tell you everything, but may I get dressed
first?”

She gestured to the neatly folded pile of clothes at the
foot of the bed and turned her gaze to the door. He hid his smile. Clearly this
was all the privacy she would afford him.

She couldn’t hide the brief flare of lust that hit him like
a flash of heat when he got out of bed and pulled on his jeans. Using that to
his advantage, he deliberately left his chest bare. She still hungered for him
and he wanted her to remember that.

“You can put the gun away. I’m not going anywhere and you
know I would never harm you.”

She glanced at the gun then back at him. He heard her heart
race as she carefully set it on the table, and released a deep sigh as she
waited for him to begin.

“Brett, I—” He raked a hand through his hair. Damn, this was
harder than he anticipated. “I— Can I get you something to drink first?”

Her brow raised as her lips tightened to a thin line.

“Right.” No more dodging. He took a breath and looked her in
the eye. “I’m not from here.” Her nostrils flared and he felt her surge of
anger before he blurted. “I’m from Saturn.”

Nothing. Not a twitch, not a scream, he couldn’t even read
her emotions. It was as if she slammed a door between them, leaving him alone
in the cold.

“Explain,” she requested softly.

“Lucian and I are from Skandavia, the second largest moon.
The one your people call Titan. We were banished from our home and came to live
here a few years ago.”

Her tongue flicked out to wet her lips, but he was too
preoccupied to appreciate her natural sex appeal. She motioned for him to sit
on the edge of the bed before taking her own seat across from him.

“Explain banishment,” she said in that calm, cool voice that
was beginning to scare the shit out of him.

“Lucian and I are
Llanos
. Our family has been a part
of the royal guard for generations. Even though guarding the royal family is a
tradition for my ancestors, it is a title that must be earned, and our
placement is based on skill, knowledge and ability. I guarded our queen and
Lucian our king.”

Brett listened to every word he said with such intensity
that the urge to laugh welled in his chest. Only his Brett would learn there’s
an alien in her home and wait for all the facts before rendering judgment.

“Over the last few cycles our planet has faced many
challenges. The weather has not been kind, and like here, technology and
resources divide the haves from the have-nots. When people fall on hard times,
there is always a faction who think they can do better and call for
revolution.”

As he talked, the wounds of yesterday reopened and caused
his throat to constrict. He never opened up to anyone about what had happened,
not even Lucian, who lived through the nightmare with him. So many nights he
lay awake and imagined all the scenarios that could have, should have, gone
differently. Only thoughts of the future kept him sane. A future with his woman
safe at his side.

With Brett sitting so close, he wanted to hold her as he
continued his story, but settled for the soft brush of her knee against his.

“Queen Moira was a magnificent woman who was incredibly
beautiful, both inside and out.”

Fondness touched his smile as he recalled the grace in her
bearing, the generosity of her spirit and her skill at manipulating the men in
her life. There wasn’t a one of them who denied her anything, except for
Kristos, which was why he was chosen as her personal guard. He gave her just
enough freedom to be with the people who were her life’s blood but was firm
when required. His respect for her earned her regard as one of her most trusted
advisors. She was a mother and friend to him when his position allowed none.

“She loved her people and hurt when they suffered. In the
hostile environment, speech is sometimes impossible. Our people communicate
through empathy, so the strife caused her physical pain that worsened with each
day. The violence escalated and many innocent people were either killed or lost
everything. The princess, who was the only heir, disappeared and our queen fell
apart. She wanted to meet with the dissidents to talk to them, make them see
that the monarchy wanted what was best for all Skandavians. I forbade her from
going. Lucian as head of the guard forbade her. The king outright refused to
listen to such a plan that involved her being anywhere near the
Revolutionaries.”

He paused and fought back the swell of emotion that
strangled his throat. He was
Llanos
. Immovable. Nothing had swayed him
from his oath of protecting the queen.

Much like Brett would not be swayed from hers
.

He snipped the tether of understanding and focused on her
sweet face. “Thirty seconds. That’s all it took. I left her alone for thirty
seconds so she could partake of her meditations. When the queen sought the
solace of our Gods, I always respected her privacy and allowed her to block her
emotions.” His hand rested on his stomach as the rolling, sick sensation he
remembered from that night returned. “Thirty seconds after she took to her
chambers, I knew that all was not as it seemed. With help from her lady’s maid,
she had fled from the fortress to meet with the dissidents. I and my fellow
guards followed right on her heels, but we were too late. She was killed and
put on display as a show of power for the revolutionaries.”

She hadn’t just been killed, she’d been savagely brutalized.
The image of his beautiful queen, butchered and hanging in the square as a
warning to all, still haunted his dreams.

“The uprising ended soon after that,” he continued, his
voice thick with the tears he never shed. “Many felt that the extremists had
gone too far in harming the queen, when their real issues had been with the
king, and withdrew their backing. The lady’s maid was executed for her
involvement. As the queen’s protector, I was just as much to blame for her
death as those who slaughtered her. I was given a choice. Execution or
banishment.”

For a week he had been publicly stoned and beaten in a ceremony
that the entire kingdom had been invited to participate in. The king stripped
him of his sword and after heating it in the fire, sliced through the double
ring tattoo that marked his status as guard to the queen. It was the cruelest
cut of all and one he completely deserved.

Lucian argued for his life to be spared. His brother
understood that Kristos would have gladly given his life for Queen Moira to be
spared, but King Renauld was bonded to his wife and felt her loss with a depth
of grief Kristos only now began to sympathize, while Lucian, ah Lucian…

“When Lucian argued in my defense, he too was relieved of
his title and joined me in my fate. As you can see, we chose banishment.”

Kristos kept his attention on a dark spot in the hardwood
floor. His brother gave up everything for him and in the process lost himself
to guilt and self-recrimination. Perhaps he should have chosen death and spared
Lucian so much pain.

But then he wouldn’t have met his Brett.

A knot released in his gut. His brother was in control of
his own fate in this world, no matter how much Kristos wanted more for him.
Whatever else happened in their future, Kristos couldn’t regret coming to this
world and loving this woman.

“Why did you choose Earth?” she asked.

He finally met her gaze and fell a little more in love with
her. She leaned forward in her seat, hanging on his every word. There were no
accusations in her eyes, no blame for his failures. Her sympathy and compassion
wrapped around him like a physical hug filled with sunshine. It gave him hope
for them.

“Lucian chose Earth because it was the closet planet similar
in ecosystems to our own. On Skandavia our weather is more extreme and rain
comes in the form of gases rather than water, but the atmosphere and ecosystems
are very close, except where our physical abilities are concerned.”

The mention of his superpowers snapped her spine straight.
“What exact powers do you have? You mentioned the empathy part, but do all of
your people have powers? Are there more of you here on Earth?”

He couldn’t hold back his chuckle. She was too adorable with
the rapid-fire questions, although she would probably kick his ass if he said
that out loud.

“While my people have the capability for interstellar travel
and often travel from one moon to another, I don’t know if any have come to
Earth. As far as my powers, on Skandavia, Lucian and I were normal men. We were
warriors who had great physical strength but nothing like we do here. Lucian
believes that it is the Earth’s gravity that has heightened our normal
physicality. Our power for empathy is greater, as is our speed and strength. I
can’t fly or shoot webs out of my wrists, but I can jump a short building in a
single bound.” He winked at her and the ball of uncertainty in his chest eased
when she smiled in return.