Page 49 of Fractured Souls

Everything about him spoke of tightly restrained power. Lust burned in his eyes, the sheer intensity of it terrifying her a little. It occurred to her that if he wanted to take her right here, right now, she would be completely helpless against him, even with her mutant Tharian hand.

But she wasn’t scared of him.

Slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, he pulled away. “You are not ready for this. I will wait.” Pale eyebrows drew together. His voice dropped to a whisper. “You already understand that I’m here to guard you. It’s my job to know every single thing about you. You breathe, I’m aware. You blink, I know about it. Now I have to train you, too. It’s my duty to make sure you’re ready for whatever we find on Tharos. I can’t change what’s happened to you, Alexis. I have to be the shadow at your side, but I can also be your shield. There’s not much in the Universe that can challenge me… and I can be very patient.”

Anyone else speaking those words would have scared the shit out of her or earned a punch in the face, but Nythian… he wasn’t arrogant or condescending. He simply was. “So you’re saying you’re going to control every minute detail of my life, train me according to your rules, be at my side every moment of the day, and I’m expected to be okay with all that just because you’re a good kisser?”

“Yes.” He smiled, obviously pleased with himself. Embarrassed, Alexis scowled. Goddamn slip of the tongue. She hadn’t been meaning to say that.

“And this?” She pointed her finger between herself and Nythian, poking him in the chest. “So what happens now?”

“We’ll just have to see, won’t we?” His smile turned into a wolfish grin, and she didn’t quite know whether to glare at him or be amused. “You still want to run?”

“Well, I’m going to have to now, aren’t I?” Her body was aching for release. If she didn’t do something to relieve this tension, it wouldn’t take much to tip her over the edge.

“Still want me to arrange those clothes for you?”

Now she glared at him. “You still planning on taking a nap?”

“I’m not really sleepy anymore.”

“Then I’ll take you up on that offer. Preferably long-sleeved, and a pair of running shoes in my size too, since you people seem to have just about anything and everything on this goddamn ship.”

He gave her a long appraising look, his eyes traveling slowly over her body. “I’ll arrange some proper fighting attire for you, too. Training begins next shift. I’m not going to go easy on you just because you’re beautiful.”

Training? A thrill of excitement coursed through her.

She shot him a determined look…

And then froze.

Had he just called her beautiful?

Nythian raised an eyebrow.

Alexis stared back, still buzzing with anticipation and the afterglow of his touch.

“Problem?”

She cleared her throat. “N-no. There’s no problem.” She turned and stared off into the artificial distance, watching as mist drifted across the verdant green hills.

What a beautiful illusion.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could almost smell the crisp morning air, the grass, the rain-soaked earth of her home village…

The voice inside her head was quiet, her painful memories buried beneath a deep layer of calm.

For the first time in longer than she could remember, she almost felt like her old self again, and it was all because of this man.

Never in a million years could she have imagined that a Kordolian of all creatures would be the one to pull her back from the brink of insanity.

Thirteen

“You need to anticipate better,” Nythian growled as Alexis danced back out of range of his fists. He’d only tapped her lightly, but she felt a little sting from where his fingers had cracked against her cheek.

She didn’t know how much time had passed—days, possibly a week now—but she’d already lost count of how many of these training sessions she’d been put through. During her breaks, she would spend time with Abbey and Layla or go down to Zharek’s labs for a medical checkup.

A few times, Enki had come to teach her his method for handling Anuk. Those sessions had been tense and a little chilling, as Alexis quickly realized that Enki’s technique was nothing more than complete suppression and control—that was all he knew.

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