Chapter 25
ELLA
“I once questioned the need for so many, but I now consider them quite beneficial,” Kila says as he fluffs one of my pillows and props it up under my knees.
I lay fully reclined on my bed, propped up by a perfectly engineered arrangement of pillows. Not a single limb is unsupported. My hot alien boyfriend has turned into a nursemaid right before my very eyes. In my underwear and a tank top with just the two of us in my cozy apartment, I can finally relax.
I chuckle at his fussing, but wince immediately at the way my bruised ribs ache from the movement.
“Do not laugh!” he demands, his face as serious as the grave.
“I can’t help it if you look at me like that! Will you sit down? I’m fine. I feel wonderful. Relax,” I tell him firmly. He sighs heavily and then complies, softly seating himself at the foot of the bed.
“Mmm,” I hum appreciatively when he begins rubbing my elevated feet. “I love you.”
His black eyes twinkle up at me in reply. “And I you,” he whispers. “I feel complete.”
“That’s the hormones talking,” I tease him. He takes the bait so quickly.
“Do not say that!” he protests. “Ella, we’re putting all of that behind us no—”
I start to giggle again briefly before the pain sets my teeth gritting. He tightens his grip on my ankle and gives me a pleading look.
“Alright, alright, no laughing,” I say, showing him my palms in surrender.
“I’ll never forgive myself for what happened,” he says. “If only we had appeared in public with you, or if I had given Pakka a talking to about our relationship before—”
“Shush,” I snap. “I don’t want to hear that talk. It’s not your fault. It’s not anyone’s fault but the men that broke into the building and decided to snag me as a bonus.”
He shakes his head. “There are more responsible, but nothing will done about them.”
My stomach sinks. This morning, when I was released from the hospital, we received some concerning news. While the men that Kila and his team so efficiently incapacitated on the night of my rescue have been arrested, the rest of their organization will continue to operate. The authorities were unable to find evidence clear enough to link the break-in and my kidnapping to their official group, The Exile Squad. Stupid assholes with a stupid name. If they had their way, I know I would have been at that compound and I don’t want to think of what else they would have done to me. The investigator that interviewed me would not tell me what the un-rescued victims had endured. I shiver just remembering that they are out there, plotting their next move.
According to Jen, the information they stole from the facility could be dangerous, as it includes the names and contact information for every staff member. They also took files on the Kar’Kali genocide. Jen said they must have thought they could try to use the bioweapon formula on humans here on Earth without realizing how utterly useless it is now. “Somehow I doubt they have to chops to synthesize the pheromones of a Mitskaa fog monster,” Jen had said. “HA! Friggin’ idiots.” I’m still not finding the humor in it myself, but that’s for the best since laughter makes me spasm in pain.
“I didn’t get a chance to say how proud of you I am,” I say, smiling as I reach to him, signaling that he should hold my hand.
He frowns and lays his head on my leg pillow. He nestles between my legs and takes my flexing hand in his own. “What can you mean?” he asks.
“I know you were in Alpha male rage mode. And you did the right thing. You proved everyone wrong, including yourself I might add, by not ripping any throats out.”
“I must admit I often regret that,” he grumbles.
“Take my compliment! Don’t make an injured woman get up to smack you,” I warn him.
“Apologies.” He laughs and opens my hand so he can kiss the inside of my palm. “Your pride in me is more than I deserve. But I am filled with joy at the thought of it.”
“Good enough,” I say. “But seriously, you didn’t maim a single person!”
He grows quiet, then glances at me with slitted eyes.
“What?” I exclaim. “Kila! Did you…?”
His fingers stroke my palm and wrist.
“Kila! Who did you maim—”
“Lightly,” he corrects in a silky voice. “Lightly maimed.”
“Well, who?” I ask.
“Please don’t be upset,” he sighs. “But I extracted some information from Vic Williams. I might have broken a finger. I was more than willing to begin cutting him in the Kar’Kali way, but he broke in a matter of seconds.”
A broken finger? I snort. Maybe I am in a harsh mood, but I have no sympathy for Vic.
“I don’t know what I thought you were going to say, but … well, I can’t bring myself to feel bad about that,” I mutter.
“Yes,” he agrees. “Kiva said he would stop me from killing him if it became necessary.”
“Oh yeah,” I say, squeezing down on his hand to grab his attention. He lifts his head to smile at me from between my legs. It distracts me for a moment to see him so close to the cunnilingus position. His cheek rests against my inner thigh, tantalizingly close to the promise-land. “About Kiva…”
He must be reading mind, expression perking into a naughty one. He snakes up closer to my crotch and murmurs, “I don’t wish to speak of Kiva now. Other thoughts have intruded.”
A breathy sigh releases from my lips as he runs his fingers lightly over the seam of my panties.
He hesitates. “Ella, are you well enough to be licked? What if I—”
“I’ve heard that orgasms ease pain,” I interrupt.
Smirking at my insistence, he resumes his gentle teasing between my legs. He rubs with such delicate movements that it sends goosebumps racing over my thighs.
“You’ve heard?” he repeats. “I don’t know… I could hurt you.”
“Baby, it’s sweet that you’re worried, but just start licking me now,” I say. It’s killing me to see him hovering there with those delicious lips so close to my center. Heat is quickly flooding between my legs as he slides his fingers under the lacy trim and pulls the fabric away.
“Anything to please you,” he whispers. I feel his breath tickle my inner thigh. I close my eyes and let everything else outside of our room fall away.
Things aren’t fixed, not by a long shot, and I know deep down that there’s a chance they never will be. Kila treats me like a treasured piece of porcelain that will need to be cared for until I am better, but I know that he’s been through much worse than me. One day of trauma is nothing to the horrors of war that he’s seen and the loss that he experienced only a handful of weeks earlier. But now that his team is on his side—on our side—I know that we’ll heal. They don’t want to admit it in words, but I’ve noticed a transformation between Kila and the others. It makes me wonder what was said while I was taken away. They might be close to becoming a real family. It might take some teeth-pulling on my end, but I know I can show them how to accept the love and do it Earth-style. I’m going to make it my new mission… whether those stubborn aliens like it or not. If the way Kila’s working my body is any indication, I can trust that the Kar’Kali are fast learners with the right instruction.
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About the Author
Gemma Voss writes steamy SciFi Romance novels featuring flirtatious banter, sexual tension, intergalactic misunderstandings, happily ever afters, and a dash of mortal peril. She lives on Earth, drinks far too much coffee, and loves to curl up with a good book.
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