Soul-Bonded to the Alien (17 page)

“You drive me crazy,” he murmured in her ear before licking the shell of it. “Never letting you go, going to please you every day of your life.”

He reached down to take her nipple in his mouth as his hands stroked over her ass. She flexed and jerked away from his hands making him focus on her ass again. He sunk inside her deeper, faster while exploring the expanse of her backside, caressing and pinching.

“Cal?”

“Every inch of you attracts me.” He ran his finger over her crack as she tensed.

“I never…”

“Shh,” he thrust strongly on her. “We won’t, Paige, unless you want to. Either way not today. I can’t get enough of your warm pussy wrapped around me.”

A tear slid down her cheek.

“Tears? I can’t be that bad. I guess I need more practice.”

She gave a straggled laugh as her head moved from side to side. “Fishing for complements again. You know you have me so hot I’m about to combust.”

“Come with me, Paige.”

He reached out pulling her onto him. He laid himself bare in front of her. He let her feel the tension in his limbs, the way they contracted in an effort to make sure her pleasure came before his. The tiny spasm that walked up his back walked up hers as she merged deeper. The expanse of his heart that was filled with her became clear as he exposed himself.

“This is who I am, Paige.” He waited for acceptance or rejection as he found her pleasure center.

There was no holding back her screams now. He could hear them loud and clear as she lost herself in the pleasure and he lost himself in her.

“Can’t hold back.”

He ground into her hard and deep before his movements increased.

“Come for me, Baby.”

Paige wrapped her legs around him holding on for dear life as if he was the bucking bull and she was the rider.

“Cal!”

“Now, Paige now!”

The head of his cock hit her pleasure center as the length of him stroked her. Her walls clung to him as she threw herself off the nearest mountain, free floating.

“Paige!” Following her over the cliff, a peacefulness he never experienced intertwined with the spine tingling sensations moving through him.

He drew a lazy hand down her side.

“Want to do that again?”

“Yes,” her voice was husky with passion. “Don’t you have to…umm, recover?”

“Later, Sunshine much later.”

He drew her into his arms kissing her deeply.

*~*~*~*

“How do you feel?”

She gave him a wicked smile. “After all the calisthenics that little nap helped.”

Her stomach rumbled. “It must be dinner time, I am famished.”

“Paige, you slept through the night; it’s time for breakfast.”

“Mmm, I could go for some French toast, bacon, and orange juice. I’m salivating just thinking about it.” She got up turning around to catch a glimpse of her back. “Cal I’m healed. That Bandon worked miracles.”

“Paige, do you know how long you were out?”

“You said I slept through the night after,” a blush highlighted her cheeks, “yesterday.”

“You did, but you were out for a week before that.”

“A week?”

Cal nodded his head. “The infection was deep. We believe the Sudir seeded the tool he used to take your skin and mark you so deeply with a substance used to incapacitate as well as possibly kill without the right treatment. No doubt he intended to make sure you didn’t die after he took care of us.”

A week? She could barely wrap her head around it. She wasn’t ready for whatever the ultimate battle was supposed to be and what did she do, she slept through time she could have been learning or at least spending with Cal in case she didn’t make it.

“I’m sorry, Cal, why didn’t you wake me? There is no excuse for my lazy behavior.” She was required to pull her weight in the orphanage unless she was on her death bed. How could she have let him down?

“Paige, you almost died.” He punctuated each word grinding his teeth together. “You have no need to be sorry. I took you into a battle you weren’t prepared for and nearly lost you. Yet I can’t be sorry, Paige, you saved us as well as saving Vick. Your energy was enough to spark both Victor and myself. The Sudir underestimated the human in the room. Stupid creature.”

“You’re not upset I slept so long? What if we die because I spent a week sleeping and not coming up with a battle strategy?”

“Sunshine, the more I am around you the more I believe in your talents. Think of this reasonably, you were dying, Paige. What do you think you could have done beside sip soup and allow me to hold you infusing you with strength?”

Those strange memories of him holding her, patiently spooning soup into her mouth even when she turned her head pursed her lips and refused to eat, came back to her. He was so kind to her. She remembered him picking her up and taking her to the bathroom. How did she ever deserve someone like him?

She threw a brilliant smile at him.

“Shower.” She sniffed herself wrinkling her nose. He was a keeper if he could sleep by her when she smelled like this.

“Then breakfast.” She nodded at his words before disappearing into the bathroom.

It was the song she found herself humming that had her grinning with joy. He loved her, he had to. Why else would he treat her like this? Did she love him? Her smile disappeared, she didn’t know. Along time ago she decided that love was for fools, she would never be one of those fools who walked around with stars in their eyes only to fall into the pit that led straight to the hell known as heart-break.

She stepped into the water letting her thoughts drown. She luxuriated in the spray pouring over her knowing that soon she would have to face the world known as Cal’s family.

Turning off the water she stepped out. She left the bathroom so Cal could take a shower. Getting ready didn’t take long. She gave a deep groan of remorse when she realized there was nothing else to do.

“Ready?” he asked looking over at her.

She stood; she was as ready as she was ever going to be.

He took her hand and they walked out together. “Where is everybody?”

“Mckayla and her mother are in your old suite. Rylan is in one of the suites across from her, his brother is in the other one. Joaquin is in the suite across from us.”

“Why didn’t you want him to stay here? I think I know enough to know it wasn’t a money issue.”

“The Arbrin have always kept a distance from those of his kind.”

“Why? It is because he can shapeshift into different forms?”

“That’s part of it. We had run-ins with them when we first came to earth. The high council at the time decided it was in our best interest to keep our distance and solitude. It’s now ingrained in us to stay away.”

“I like him. He protected me when I needed him, besides I think it’s kind of cool that he can change forms. He’s like you.”

“Sweet Paige, I love how you challenge my prejudices. He was very concerned about you and wouldn’t relax until I was able to let him see you. He doesn’t seem very friendly but he does care about your well-being.”

“You’re not sure if you like his concern.”

“You’re starting to get to know me.”

They walked into the dining room to find everyone waiting for them.

“Paige!” Vick screamed her name with joy before throwing himself into her arms. “I knew you would be ok.”

He hugged her tight while planting a kiss on her cheek. Paige held him and closed her eyes. Family. She blinked fast to contain her tears.

“We’re going to get a Christmas tree after breakfast, we were waiting for you. Are you going to come?”

She turned her head to look at Cal.

“We go every year, all of us. Whoever is sitting at this table goes to help pick out the best tree and get it back.”

“Of course I’m going, Vick. I wouldn’t miss this for anything.”

She seated herself at the table and savored the smell of the French toast and bacon. “I was craving this.”

She reached over placing several pieces on her plate along with everything else they had on the table. She ate until her stomach was full.

“I can’t believe I ate that much.” She took a look at Mckayla’s mother whose name she still didn’t know.

“Wait until you get pregnant,” Selma threw her a smile, “you’ll be amazed at how much you eat.”

“The deeper our bond becomes tied with how your talents develop will cause you to eat more to keep up your energy. The working of your talents will require several thousand more calories than you’re used to consuming on a daily basis. Then keeping your soft womanly form will require extra calories. No worries, I’ll feed you to keep you looking so beautiful.”

The man was obviously delusional, but who was she to tell him. If he liked the way she looked she would simply revel in it.

She turned her attention back to the woman sitting at the table. She was beautiful, thick like herself with a caramel complexion.

“I’m glad you’re here and safe. I’m Paige.”

“How remiss of me, I’m Aviana, so pleased to meet you.” She smiled at Paige.

Paige looked around the room; Rylan was doing his best not to look at Aviana as she pretended he didn’t exist. Gabe was looking at his brother, then back at Aviana with a half-cocked smile on his face like he was enjoying a private joke. Joaquin sat in between Vick and Mckayla, looking like he was somehow the outsider.

Mckayla was trading glances with Vick as they both were quietly working to get a smile out of Joaquin. Paige laughed to herself; getting this tree was going to be interesting.

Chapter Twenty One

The forest covered several acres of land. She had never before gone tromping through the snow and trees for the perfect Christmas tree. She never bought a tree when she lived on her own either, of course they had one in the orphanage. It was a time of gathering, she and the others would decorate the tree with whatever was available and sing songs. Her lips quivered in remembered joy. It was a good time, one of the times of the year she looked forward to. So the gifts weren’t great, but the staff seemed a lot nicer around the holidays.

Victor held up his hand motioning for everyone to stop.

“What do you think of this tree?”

All eyes turned to the tree he indicated, it was huge. Nine feet maybe more, Paige judged the height by the males standing next to it.

“I like the tree.” Vick’s eyes were wide open as he craned his head upward.

“How would we trim the top and do you have enough decorations?” Paige never saw a tree this big in the orphanage and the thought of getting it caused her toes to curl.

Selma threw her a smile. “We have plenty of decorations. Do you like the tree?”

Paige nodded her head. “It’s beautiful.”

“Aviana and Mckayla?” They both chimed in loving the tree.

“Victor?” Selma turned to look expectantly at him.

Paige looked around for an axe; not seeing any she looked at Cal who was staring at Victor. How would they cut the tree down without an axe?

Victor slipped his glove off before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a long rectangular black box. He walked around the tree aiming the box at the ground.

She took a step wanting a closer look, Cal reached for her arm stopping her.

“Stay back, that can kill you.”

“What can kill me? It’s just a box doing nothing.”

“It’s a wave manipulator. Everything has motion or waves even if it appears not to be moving. If it was aimed at you, your particles would accelerate and begin to move further away. Watch.”

Victor placed the box back in his pocket bringing out a white cylinder which he aimed at the tree. There was a loud noise before the tree began to rise. The roots rose with the tree, not all of them but enough to know he didn’t cut it off at the trunk.

“How did Victor do that and why are the roots still attached?”

“We have a method that will keep the tree alive through the holiday so it can be replanted for the next year.”

“Why? Don’t get me wrong I think that’s marvelous, it’s just we cut them down every year, lots of times never wondering if we will have trees next year.”

“You’re talking about the customs of a lifetime although we know many of your people use artificial trees for the reason you just said,” Gabe replied drawing her eyes away from Cal.

Paige looked around seeing a fleeting emotion in the eyes of the males around her. Turning, she looked at Cal.

“When your planet no longer exists you take better care of the second one you’re given.”

She nodded and looked at the women. Each one held a look of pride in the males around them. Her eyes shone with the same pride. A woman could do worse than ending up with one of them. Well Cal was off the market, no woman better be looking at him.

The thought of someone thinking they could have him set her teeth on edge. The grinding sound she thought she heard in the air was actually her. Relaxing her jaw, she followed them back to their SUV’s as the tree was placed on the roof of one.

She pondered her possessive thoughts on the way back to the house. She wanted to blame them on the soul bond. Of course she was possessive, they were bound together for life, however long that might be. If one dies, the other dies. Although there was no reason to doubt this, she still wasn’t sold on that reality.

Yet in the end she knew it wasn’t any of those things that made her want to turn bloody at the thought of Cal with someone else. It was the secret part of her again, the part she buried so long ago. Like a rose it was opening one petal at a time, for the first time she became concerned that her heart may be in danger.

The scene at the house could only be described as beautiful exhilarating chaos, the kind families enjoyed at Christmas time. Vick and Mckayla ran ahead with Vick promising to show her where the best ornaments were kept. Rylan and Gabe ran after them shouting, “Wait you don’t want anything to break.” Victor and Cal were setting up the tree. Selma went to the kitchen because what was decorating the tree without hot chocolate, cookies and of course milk. Joaquin stood in the corner blending in with the shadows, even his lips were upturned. They were one loving but unlikely family. Paige loved it.