Freeing Luka: The Clecanian Series Book 2 Read online

  Where is he?

  Auzed held open a door to the building and motioned for her to enter, remaining outside when she did. Before leaving him, she urged her voice to sound forceful and authoritative as she said, “Thanks, Auzed, but don’t think I didn’t notice how shifty you got back there. After this meeting is over, we’re going to have a discussion about what you saw in the woods.”

  Auzed tilted his head, the corner of his mouth lifted in a curious smile. “You can call me Zed.”

  The fact that her tone hadn’t had the effect she’d wanted was frustrating, but the friendly gifting of his nickname was flattering. Not knowing which reaction to focus on, she awkwardly said, “Fine. Zed,” and sped inside.

  The meeting room looked almost the same as the room she’d been taken to her first night here, except in this room, one large round table dominated the space. Already seated at the table was Lucy, a sociable blonde human Alice had never really spoken to, a handsome blue-green-skinned man, and…a demon?

  Alice stood frozen, staring at the terrifying giant. He was larger than any man she’d ever seen before and had razor-sharp purple horns extending from his temples and curling toward the back of his head. His skin was deeply tanned and tinted almost red. Upon first glance, his curling hair was black, but upon closer inspection, she saw it had a deep purple sheen to it.

  He turned to glance at her, and Alice was startled to find his light gray eyes were warm when they caught her stare.

  She couldn’t bring herself to look away from the horned man even as she inwardly cursed her brain to do so. Her heartbeat began to slow when she saw the demon shift in his seat. Alice must be crazy, but she could swear he looked self-conscious.

  A woman’s annoyed, out-of-breath voice sounded from behind her. “I’m fine! Would you relax!”

  The pretty redhead, who looked far too pregnant to be walking easily, was waddling into the room. A large, angry man with thick, black tattoos covering all of his exposed skin walked behind her. The open doorway from which they’d emerged revealed the interior of a cruiser. They must have guided the cruiser over the lake and directly here in order to keep her hidden from view.

  His focus was firmly on the woman as she walked. Every so often, he’d reach out to grab her hand or arm, trying to help her, but she’d just shoo his hands and continue forward unassisted.

  The woman’s eyes lit up when they landed on Alice. “Oh, hey! Alice, right?” As quickly as she could, which wasn’t very quick at all, the woman changed course and began making her way to Alice.

  The man anxiously walking behind her glanced to the chairs, and then back to the woman. In a deep, rumbling voice, he said, “Jade, you need to go sit down.”

  Jade continued toward Alice but rolled her eyes. “Once you have grown a person in your uterus, you are more than welcome to weigh in on what I need. Until then, I’ll be the judge.”

  The man stopped and shot a furious glare at the back of her head. In a low growl, he said, “Jade, you will go and sit now, or I’ll carry you home.”

  Jade stopped and inhaled deeply. She turned and batted her lashes at the man, who was now towering over her. If she were Jade, Alice would’ve been terrified. The tattooed man was very handsome but in a severe, dangerous way, and right now, he looked close to murder.

  Jade reached up and grabbed his neck, tugging him down to whisper in his ear. Alice had no idea what she said to the guy to get him to relax, but she deserved a goddamned medal. Alice watched as the man’s tension and anger slowly faded until he stood with his cheek against her hair, smiling faintly.

  Jade planted a swift kiss on his lips and resumed her trek toward Alice. The man followed, and although he looked annoyed, the ghost of a smile clung to his lips.

  Alice quickly walked toward the pair. If she waited for Jade to get to her, it’d take all day.

  Jade pulled her in for a firm hug then released her. “So, you’re Luka’s mate! That’s so exciting! This grump behind me is Theo. One of Luka’s brothers.” Jade hiked her thumb toward the man, who was now peering at Alice curiously.

  “Izzo is your brother too?” she asked. How many siblings does Luka have?

  “Yes,” he said simply.

  One brother is a Chatty Cathy, and the other is quiet and broody. She searched the room again. Who would Luka be more similar to?

  Theo continued to stare at her, but Alice didn’t know what else to say. She motioned to his arm. “Um…I like your tattoos.”

  Jade let out a loud bark of laughter and then beamed at Theo’s surprised face. She grabbed his hand, and a purr resonated in his chest. “Told you so.”

  Alice wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but she sighed longingly at their exchange. Theo purred and gazed at Jade like she was the sun itself.

  She hoped one day Luka might look at her that way. If he and Theo were brothers, then maybe he wouldn’t find the relationship between humans and Clecanians unappealing.

  “Let me introduce you to everyone,” Jade said happily, waddling to the table and tugging a besotted Theo behind her.

  As they approached ahead of Alice, the large demon stood and greeted the couple warmly.

  Must only look scary. Alice tried to combat her knee-jerk response of fear.

  Jade turned to her. “This is Rhaego. He’s a really great guy and one of Theo and Luka’s good friends.”

  Alice smiled as the demon gave her a low formal bow. “It’s an honor to meet another human female.”

  Well, he may look like a demon, but he has the manners of a prince.

  He glanced nervously between her and Jade. “I’m sorry if my appearance is startling to you.”

  Alice felt a pang of guilt for her earlier reaction. “No, it’s my fault. I’m still not used to seeing aliens who look…alien,” she finished dumbly.

  Theo made his way to the vacant seat next to Rhaego. The two men sat and began speaking casually.

  Jade awkwardly sank into her chair. “I tried to explain what a demon is on our planet in order to prepare him for other humans’ reactions, but I feel like he got offended,” she whispered, glancing back toward Rhaego. She smiled. “He’s the biggest softy ever, and his dream is to find a mate. I think the fact that most of us are pretty terrified of him when we first see him has dashed his hopes a bit.”

  Alice looked back to Rhaego and felt sympathy bloom in her chest. Sure, at first he’d looked like something out of a nightmare, but now that she’d met him, she found he was very handsome in his own way. If she wasn’t so infatuated with Luka, she was sure she could get on board the sexy demon train. Alice decided she’d try and talk him up to Vanessa.

  Chapter 11

  Luka watched from the trees as Alice sunned herself on her floating patio. The orange light danced off her shining brown locks, and he could just make out lighter shades of gold streaking the hair around her oval face.

  Loose shorts and a sleeveless shirt covered her well enough but did nothing to keep his mind from guessing at the soft curves beneath. She was like something out of a fever dream. In his case, she actually was something out of Luka’s dreams.

  The glowing bilom swimming in the lake, reflected on her face, obscuring the true color of her eyes, and he found himself cursing the beautiful creatures. No matter how mesmerizing the bilom were, the deep blue eyes he’d been dreaming about were a hundred times more so.

  After he’d awoken in his bed and his brothers had explained what’d happened to him, he’d been a wreck. Helas’ violation of him was a trauma he could overcome in time, but if he’d found a true mate only to lose her because of what Helas had done…well, he didn’t know if he could come back from that.

  As far back as he could remember, he’d yearned for a mate and a family. His own mother had died before his mind had been mature enough to properly remember her. In the wake of her death, his father had done the best he could to divide his attention evenly among his five children, but when Luka looked back on his childhood, he couldn’t help
but remember feeling neglected.

  He’d always wished he could have a female all to himself. Someone whose attention wasn’t divided among many. A female he could shower with affection and who’d hopefully return the sentiment. A permanent mate he could share his life with.

  But in a world under strain, where loyalty to saving their species outweighed loyalty to any single person, seeking a wife who’d be willing to stay with one husband was nearly impossible.

  To the Clecanian’s knowledge, only three compatible species have existed. The Dyasque, who live on an overly populated planet galaxies away and whose females kill their partners upon successfully mating. The Ryg, who were peaceful and timid, but who’d gone extinct after their planet had been demolished by a rogue asteroid decades ago. The Traxians, from whom Luka and his siblings were descended.

  Neither the Traxians or the Dyasque had any interest in migrating to Clecania no matter how many times the government had attempted to persuade them. Female options for a heterosexual Clecanian male were limited to say the least.

  As a young male, Luka had understood that finding a female to call his own, who’d lower her guard and openly love him the way his mother had with his father, could only happen if their species was safe from extinction. Either the ratio of males to females had to become more equal, or matehood needed to suddenly return after being lost for so long.

  Ever the realist, he’d chosen to enter into the field of research most likely to result in the salvation of his species. He’d decided the science behind procreation, infertility, and animal mating would be his area of expertise.

  Many of his colleagues devoted their time and effort to researching matehood, rather than fertility, feeling as though that was the answer to their problems. Luka, however, had always been one to think to the future. Without sufficient evidence to the contrary, he’d concluded their species must’ve evolved past matehood. Mating should be viewed as an immovable thing of the past, so as not to muddle the progressive science of today.

  Yet, there she was. His mate, Alice.

  Beyond all reason, the universe had given her to him, and what had he done? Based on Izzo’s retelling, he’d captured her, taken her away, and ravished her. His neck heated with shame just thinking about it.

  He crept forward through the brush to get a better view. A few days ago, when he could no longer stand the nagging pull that’d been present in him since he’d woken up, and while his brothers had been preoccupied, he’d allowed his mating instinct to direct him to these woods, the closest he could get to her without crossing Pearl Lake.

  He’d scarcely blinked when he’d first seen her, laughing with the other women in their shared home, worried if he took his eyes off her for even a second, she’d be gone. The home she’d been living in at first was far away from the shore, and he could only see the patio and part of the kitchen, but yesterday, as if drawn closer to him by an unknown force, she’d moved to the house that jutted closest to where he sat every day. Had it been the bond or dumb luck that’d made her pick that house?

  He felt a perverse pleasure watching her like this. Whenever a sense of satisfaction at being near her came over him, guilt immediately followed. Opposing feelings weren’t something new to Luka. From stories his brothers had told him, he knew they felt the same.

  His mother, a full Traxian female, had shamed her clan and family by seeking aid from the Clecanians and marrying a Lignas male. Often Luka and his brothers felt their more primal Traxian sides battling to be acknowledged. While their Lignas half guided their reasoning and social skills, their Traxian half burned in them like small fires waiting for fuel.

  His sister, Asivva, seemed to be unaffected by her Traxian blood, but he and his brothers had struggled their whole lives to contain and repress that side of themselves. That side called for blood whenever there was a simple argument, or wanted to fuck when they should be making love. The brutality and possessiveness that was a biological trait of his people had always caused his family nothing but trouble in the civilized city of Tremanta.

  Now, the Clecanian part of him urged him to leave. He knew watching her while she was unaware was wrong, but the Traxian side of him whispered reassurances that stalking his mate was acceptable because she was his. How else could he ensure her safety?

  Even now, the urge to not simply dive into the bilom-infested waters and swim through their painful stinging to get to her was a battle.

  Luka squatted down, ripping at the soft moss covering the ground. He’d tried to learn as much as possible about her since waking, but his brothers had been pretty useless. Since Izzo was the only one she’d spoken to, Luka had made him recount his interaction with her a multitude of times.

  Observing her had told him more than any of his other research had. He’d seen that she was kind and caring toward the females she’d lived with. The ones she’d rescued that night. Pride swelled in him. His mate was brave. She’d saved them all that night.

  Compassion was another virtue he’d witnessed from his dark hiding place. On a few occasions, he’d seen her console a dark-haired female with a tenderness most Clecanians kept hidden.

  And she was intelligent, often approaching the unknown with a scientific curiosity that called to his own. As far as he knew, no one had shown them how to use the technology in their home. While it irked him to think of the ineffectual way in which they were settling new humans into their world, he marveled at how easily she was able to figure out things he assumed must be brand new to her.

  Watching her discover the food synthesizer, for one, had been a treat. She’d examined the small machine with her eyes and hands before finally testing a few controls. She must’ve tried and failed fifty times before finally working out how to use the machine. But she’d never given up, and the smile that had lit up her face when she’d successfully prepared her first dish had made his breath catch in his throat. He’d kill for her to smile at him like that.

  Every day, he wracked his brain, trying to remember their time together, but very little of what he recalled made sense to him. She was the clearest in his dreams, yet he couldn’t accept those as real memories. They were too good to be true.

  The one he’d had last night had him groaning awake, taking his shaft in hand, and finding release with only a few swift strokes. In the dream, she’d run her hands all over his arms and chest, massaging him before finally pressing her body to his in an embrace and whispering unrecognizable words into his ear.

  He knew the dream had to be a fantasy because no female in that situation would ever touch a crazed, aroused male so tenderly.

  He watched as she activated her hand clock and squinted at the numerals. It was odd for a person who didn’t need a clock to have one implanted. The earnestness in which she stared at the time made it clear that it was important to her.

  Frustration made his shoulders bunch. It was obvious from her pretty pout and scrunched brows that she couldn’t read the clock. He’d need to remedy that soon. If there was anything he could do to make her happy, whether it be imparting knowledge or commissioning the most beautiful clock she’d ever seen that displayed Earthling symbols, he needed to do it.

  Luka pulled at a large clump of moss, snapping an attached twig as he did so. The sound echoed over the water, and he froze, watching to see if she’d heard. Sure enough, her head snapped in his direction, and her eyes scanned the area near where he was hiding. How would she react if she found him here?

  A figure lurking in the darkness of her house had Luka’s protective instincts firing, forcing him to rise and dash toward the lake. He was only a few feet from the edge of the tree line, about to reveal himself, when the figure emerged into the light. He skidded to a halt and retreated into the shadows, recognizing the small girl named Daisy whom Izzo would not shut up about.

  When the two females retreated into the darkened house, Luka began to pace. In a few minutes, he’d be attending a vital meeting. There were many reasons this gathering would be important,
but the one that weighed the most heavily on him was that he’d have the opportunity to speak with Alice for the first time. He’d gone back and forth in his mind endlessly about whether he should request a meeting with her alone or wait. Ultimately, he decided it’d be better if she were around other people. That way, if she didn’t wish to speak to him, she wouldn’t feel cornered.

  Outside of the terrible conditions in which they’d met, they hadn’t had any interactions. What would she think of him? Did she hate him? Would she want to be anywhere near him?

  Insecurity was a new feeling for Luka. Whenever he set out to do something new, he made sure he was prepared, that he did all of the necessary research to be successful. But now, there were so many unknown variables.

  He couldn’t begin to hypothesize about what her feelings would be or how she’d act around him. Even with the information he’d learned, she was still a human. There was a whole lifetime of experiences from a different world that would shape her personality and reactions, and he could only begin to guess at what those might be.

  The fact that she didn’t have a mating bond of her own was also problematic. If she did, she’d understand his need to be near her. To make sure she was protected and safe.

  The distance that separated them now felt like hundreds of miles. If she was within his reach, he didn’t know if he’d be able to stop himself from simply grabbing her.

  Nodding, he decided that taking control of this mating instinct was of paramount importance. If he could do enough research about mates, maybe he could figure out how to suppress his instinct long enough to charm her properly. In his present condition, where most coherent thoughts were interrupted with daydreams of ripping off her clothes and devouring her golden flesh, civilized seduction would be impossible.