Page 13 of Forbidden Desires

“Did you know Bella is a warrior?” she asked when he came back into the room. It was general conversation, but both her cousins were something amazing and she was Amelia whose family disowned her. Why? Reason one she wouldn’t forswear her father. Even though he was dead, she had to agree to do it to stay in the family. Her dad was her heart and yes, he was dead, but she couldn’t betray him or her mother like that. There’d been enough betrayal to last a lifetime. She wondered what the ship AI would have thought if he’d been spying on her dysfunctional family. Let’s not forget the ring, but she didn’t want to think about that.

When Zylar said nothing, she looked up to see a length of black fabric in his hands. Was he going to tie her feet up so she couldn’t run or her hands so she couldn’t fight back? She deserved it and she was going to submit. Yeah, probably not. She might not be a warrior, but she refused to be abused. That made no sense since she hadn’t run when he turned his back. She was waiting; she assured herself. When he was asleep, she’d find a way off the ship.

“This is for your eyes.”

“My eyes?” Right, she was sounding like a parrot right about now.

Her stomach was clenching, and she wasn’t sure if she liked it or not. “You’re going to hurt me.” She couldn’t help the quiver in her voice. He was going to hurt her, but she’d convinced herself that she deserved to be hurt from the first time he contacted her and told her that if she wanted to live, she’d help them get to Jenna.

Jenna was her sweet oldest cousin and Jeffrey, Jenna’s next-door neighbor, thought she belonged to him. When she started seeing the Diza king-in-waiting, he went crazy. Either he got Jenna, or he’d kill Amelia. She knew better, but fell into the trap, unable to pull out. She wanted to do the right thing, to warn her cousin, even if it meant her death. In the end, no matter how hard she tried, it didn’t happen. How could she betray her flesh and blood like that? She wouldn’t betray her parents, who were dead, but she did her cousin, who was alive.

Zylar brought a hand up to cup her cheek before he ran his fingers over the side of her face. They were warm and rough. Rougher than she thought a healer’s hands would be. They were also gentle on her face, as if she were someone important.

“Have you ever heard of an empath?” He was still caressing her face lulling her into a false sense of comfort before he hurt her.

“No, yes. Star Trek: The Next Generation had an empath on the ship. I always loved her.”

“I’m not surprised.” He took the length of silk and used it to caress her cheek.

“It’s soft.”

“Only the softest for you.” His voice was a deep roll of thunder that went through her, leaving quakes behind. Shivering, she wasn’t convinced that it was out of dread.

“I’m going to blindfold you, but you have to agree.” She looked up to find he was staring at her. The look in his eyes said he was serious, it also said that if she disagreed then it was all over. Did she want this? She wasn’t sure, but some part of her said she needed it. Redemption didn’t come just because she wanted it. Why had he mentioned empaths? Was that something she needed to know about, or was he making small talk like her when she mentioned Bella?

She nodded her head.

“Not good enough. I need words.” Her eyes slid to the walls, looking at the picture of a young Zylar with his cousins. She thought about him getting Anna and Sarah away from men who wanted to hurt them. She knew he could be trusted, even though she didn’t trust herself.

“Yes.” The word came out with a croak, trying to get stuck in her throat.

“Close your eyes.” She drifted into a world of total darkness knowing that Zylar was there with a blindfold in his hand, and she’d permitted him to do carte blanche with her. Stupid Amelia, this is how you’re always getting into trouble.

Her breath came out in a gasp as he tied the blindfold around her eyes. She waited to see what would happen next. Time slowly passed, and he did nothing. The longer he waited, the more fear set in. She didn’t get divine revelations, but she had one now. He was going to kill her, and she was tired of running. Hopefully, the next life will be better.

“Just kill me, please.”

Chapter Eight

The tension in the room was high. Zylar could see that his mate meant what she said. The pressure she’d been living under was killing her. There was no need to worry that he or some other faceless, nameless entity would do the deed. The longer she went, the closer she got to death. That was one thing a healer protected against in his empath mate. She needed release and absolution, and he was going to give it to her.

He reached down and picked her up, seating himself on the couch, and placing her over his legs. She looked good and felt good there. He pulled up the back of the ridiculous shirt she was wearing. Her breath caught and stuttered before she started breathing at a faster rate. He didn’t know if it was because he exposed her beautiful curves or because he was exposing his claws. He hoped it was the first and not the second.

He looked at his claws, watching them change from blunt to sharp enough to get her attention without breaking her delicate skin or hurting her. The pads of his fingers slid down her back, making her squirm. Then he used his claws to scratch lightly ather skin. Her breath hitched, making her heart beat faster. He caught just a hint of a moan that his mate cut off through those teeth and lips. The shadow of a smile played around his mouth. A smile was something the Diza indulged in before. He couldn’t wait to see how the human females would influence the direction his planet was growing in. That was an afterthought, one he’d talk about with his cousins over a cold tankard of Zylothin.

She tensed when his hand cupped the delectable globes of her ass. They would fill both of his large hands nicely. Now it was time to strip her pants and panties. The pants were unappealing as if she were trying to keep from being looked at. He doubted it worked. One look at her perfectly rounded face with glowing brown skin and eyes that hinted at being blue was enough to capture any male’s attention. If a male passed her on the street without a second look, Zylar might want to examine him to see what was wrong. Since she was his mate, he’d allow all those males who didn’t look twice at her to live. The one who would die is the one who saw an unprotected empath and took advantage of her. That too was for later. Now his mate needed all his attention.

He pulled her pants down, exposing the rose-colored thong playing peek-a-boo on her ass. It was like a bonus for being patient with the horrid clothes hiding the beauty underneath. He couldn’t stop himself from caressing the globes of her ass and tracing the lace of the thong she was wearing.

He heard a small purr come from her. His hand kept caressing her back while his other hand lifted, hovering over her perfect ass. He brought it down quickly, hearing it crack against her ass as she cried out.

Zylar pushed down the bile trying to rise. He was doing the right thing for his mate, even if it hurt his heart. He slapped her twice more in quick succession. The first brought a startled yelpfrom her and the second a cry. Her beautiful ass was growing tender under his hand faster than he thought.

“Tell me what you did now.” He smacked her again. It sounded like a crack across her ass and he could see the brown skin slowly tinting to red. The voice that he used had been demanding and uncaring. She didn’t need compassion, not yet. That didn’t stop him from caressing her fiery cheeks.

“My cousins saved me from their father.” She was sniffling. The real crying would start soon. “I thought everything was gonna be okay. It was great for the first week or two. I was living with Jenna, my oldest cousin, and it was fun. She makes me feel good. I know it’s strange, but when I’m around her I can do anything. Then one day I went to the mall. God, how I wish that day never happened. There was this guy who was following me. At first, I thought it was my imagination.”

Zylar’s hand cracked down over her ass again. “Finish.” She wanted to distract him. He knew the memories hurt. They were buried deeply in her, this male’s motivation was obvious to him as the Tan-ge thought to ruin Amelia, to kill her before she could find her monster mate. His grin was evil. The Tan-ge loved to call the Diza monsters. He was going to kill him. He could feel his claws wanting to burst free to impale him, but they would have to wait. Now he needed to extract his mate from the quagmire-infested waters trying to drown her.

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