Acting Out Read online

  Now this was familiar ground to Jessica. Even though her agent and publicist handled most of the business end of her career, she still had a lot of practice in making her demands and ensuring she got them. While she thought over her options and what she wanted most out of this ordeal, she bought herself time by stopping to smell a bell-shaped flower that was blood-red in color. She hummed with appreciation at the scent that reminded her of vanilla and sandalwood.

  Korian, watching the enigmatic human closely, reached forward and plucked it from its stalk and handed it to her. “This bloom is called thalia and it is the favorite base for many of our female’s colognes. Its vibrant color is rivaled only by that of your hair,” he commented gallantly.

  Jessica tossed her wavy, scarlet mane behind her shoulder and eyed him skeptically. She wasn’t sure what to make of this man. One moment, he was flirting shamelessly, the next he was belligerent and arrogant, and the next he was courtly and effusive. It made Jessica long to see beneath the layers of his masks to the real man underneath.

  She decided to let his pretty flattery go unnoticed for the moment, though she did tuck the bloom behind her ear in order to enjoy its scent. “Let’s cut to the heart of the matter, Korian. You need me in order to carry out your plan. You need me to play a role, and I am prepared to do that, but I get paid very well to do the same thing on Earth. I am open to negotiating our contract, so why don’t you tell me what you expect of me first, and then I will counter with my own demands?”

  Jessica thought she saw a flash of disappointment cross his features, but he quickly schooled his expression as he considered her words. “Very well. As you know, many members of our ruling class have recently become enamored with the Earth film Taking Heat. I regret to admit that I have not seen it myself, but my advisors have assured me that it is the favorite entertainment at their gatherings. It is quite rare that broadcasts from Earth are available this far away, but it was procured by a noble named Rox’Ana Ful’Tera. She is the most influential and powerful of all the territory delegates, and I suspect, the instigator of unrest that has swept through the ruling class.”

  “What leads you to suspect that it’s Roxanne that’s behind this?” she asked, more to distract herself from the impulse to belt out the famous song by The Police than out of sheer curiosity.

  Korian reached up to run his hand through his shaggy mane and confessed, “It may have to do with the fact that Rox’Ana suggested an alliance through marriage to her daughter, and I flatly refused it. She was quite vocal in her animosity towards me when I foiled her plan to get closer to the throne.”

  Jessica snorted rudely. “Gee, ya think? What was the matter with her daughter? Is she ugly? Too fat? Too skinny?” she guessed, feeling a vengeful glee at the thought that he had turned her down.

  Korian shot her a peeved look and replied, “Not at all. Actually, she is a celebrated beauty throughout our circles and she already has numerous suitors lined up to take my place.”

  She scowled at his words and huffed, “Then what’s the problem? If she’s so wonderful, then why did you turn down your shot at first dibs?”

  “I do not know what these ‘dibs’ are that you speak about, but I will confess that I find her to be incredibly dull. Every time I have tried to speak to her, she only wishes to talk about frivolous pursuits. The last time I saw her, I actually fell asleep while she droned on and on about shopping markets she visited when she traveled to Mamaxon, one of the ruling planets of the Great Alliance,” he explained, his pale eyes rolling with sarcasm.

  “Fine, so she’s boring. Political matches on my planet have been made for thousands of years regardless of feelings, so why not just marry the girl and secure your throne that way? Seems like it would be a lot easier than kidnapping an Earthling celebrity and concocting this elaborate scheme,” Jessica shot back.

  Korian pinned her with his gaze until Jessica came to a full stop and turned to face him. “Warrior kings have never taken a lifemate based on such matters, and I will not be the first to start. If I give the nobles this victory, it will only feed their greed for more power until they take the throne and relegate the warrior class to mere infantry. No, I will do as my forebears have done and seek my lifemate with my body, heart, and mind united. It is the only way for a T’Kalan warrior.”

  Jessica swallowed thickly and pressed her hand against her pounding heart. After several tense moments, she finally replied, “Okay, then. So, what do you need me to do?”

  Korian’s body slowly eased closer to her own, closing the gap between them. “In two days’ time, I have planned for a gathering in my home for all the most powerful of my delegates and nobles in order to view this movie. At its conclusion, I will present you as our guest of honor. While they are distracted with your presence, my spies will be able to infiltrate their offices and homes in search of evidence. Of course, should you agree, I would also like you to ask leading questions and see if you are able to glean anything of use on your own.”

  Jessica’s body swayed closer as she fell a little deeper into his gaze. “I see. So, I am to dazzle them with my exotic alien celebrity while secretly playing your spy, too?”

  “Mmm-hmm,” he hummed, his hand coming up to finger a flaming lock of her hair. “If you affect them half as much as you do me, then they will have no choice but to tell you whatever you wish to know.”

  “Flattery will get you everywhere,” she teased him slyly. “Though it’s not enough to gain my compliance. I assume you will also want me to accept their invitations and make the rounds to their homes, too?” When he nodded in confirmation, she continued, “That means that I will be very busy over the next few weeks. However, I wish to see more of your world and to meet more of your people. I also want to see my warriors and spend time with Mahoney before I have to leave.”

  His jaw clenched and his eyes hardened, but he tipped his head sharply. “Agreed. I will arrange for an escort to accompany you-“

  Jessica cut him off with a pointed finger and interrupted, “Oh, no you won’t. I am not a child to be babysat. I want to have fun while I am here, and having one of your men report back to you my every movement is not part of the deal. I will agree to a driver for the transport only, but he stays with the conveyance.”

  Korian’s expression turned dark. “It is my duty to ensure your safety, Jessica. Should something happen to you while under my protection-“

  “Oh, have no fear, King Korian,” she cut him off again. “If I am not with Mahoney, then I will likely be with one of my other warriors, so I will be very safe. In fact, Zandar has invited me to view the stars from his observatory.”

  “It is not the stars he wishes you to observe,” he snarled, snagging her arm to pull her into his chest. “Surely you are not so naïve as to believe such a tale.”

  Jessica’s body molded to the hard contours of his and she peeked at him through her eyelashes. A wild and dangerous feeling sparked inside her and she decided to see how far she could push the warrior king. “Who said I believed it? Maybe I want to experience what he has to offer. He is a handsome, virile man and I am an unattached female looking to have some fun. Why shouldn’t I take him up on his offer?”

  His arm was like a steel band around her waist as he dragged her up his body until their faces were aligned. “He will not touch you,” he snarled. “I will challenge any of them that dare to try.”

  Jessica sucked in a breath at his savage words, but she met him halfway as he crushed his lips to hers in a hard, punishing kiss. Her hands trailed over his shoulders until her fingers tangled in the soft strands of his black hair that feathered across his nape as his tongue forced its way into her mouth to conquer and claim her own. Her pulse raced through her veins, sending heat spiraling low in her belly, at the feel of his rough strength holding her aloft from the ground. She could feel the thick, iron bar of his arousal pressing against her and she arched against him to feel even more. He growled low in his throat and nipped her bottom lip until she whim
pered in need.

  “Korian, please,” she whispered into the night air as he trailed his way down the fragile column of her neck.

  He shuddered against her and moaned softly against the pale skin beneath her ear. “Tell me, Jessica. Promise me that none of them will touch you this way. Tell me that none of them will taste the sweetness of your lips or feel your breasts crushed against their chests. I do not wish to challenge my men to combat over you.”

  She threw her head back as he continued to kiss and bite his way down her throat. She reveled in his possessive attention, but she had to hear the words from him, too. “Only if you are willing to take their place,” she demanded breathlessly.

  His body froze against her and his exhaled breath gusted hotly against her collarbone. “I cannot promise that, my thalia.” He slowly released her and steadied her until she regained her equilibrium. “I should not have taken such liberties with you as I just did and I apologize for allowing myself to be carried away. I cannot afford to be distracted at this time, even for a beautiful female such as yourself. There is too much at risk and dangers are all around. Between the nobles out to take the throne, and the impending threat of invasion, it would be disastrous for me to split my attention even further.” He cupped her face in his large palm and searched her eyes. “Please tell me you understand, Jessica.”

  Jessica felt like she had been hit with a bucket of ice water. She blinked her eyes rapidly to keep the angry tears at bay and choked on the bitter rejection that threatened to burn her alive. Knocking his hand away from her face, she answered coldly, “So what exactly is it you want me to agree to, Korian? That you can’t have me, so no one else can, either? Fuck that. I’ll make no such promises, and you’re in no position to dictate what I do with my own body. You may have me prisoner here for the next month, but I am still free to decide who I give myself to. If I want to go out and screw every one of my warriors, I will do so if I choose.” She ignored his thundercloud expression and continued, “I’ll play the part you want me to play, and I’ll do my best to achieve your goals, but the rest of my time is my own and I’ll do whatever I want and see whomever I please, and if you dare try to stop me, I will make you regret that you ever laid eyes on me.”

  She turned on her heel and stalked away, pausing only long enough to pluck the flower from her hair and toss it at his feet. Thankfully, the door panel opened at the press of her palm and she fumed and cursed his name all the way back to her room.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Korian grunted with effort as he pummeled the training bot until it fragmented beneath his bloody knuckles and did not rise again. Sweat poured down his body and he swiped it irritably out of his eyes as he kicked at the pile of broken and splintered parts that disintegrated under the wrath of his fists. Even with his muscles screaming and his breath heaving in and out like bellows, he still felt the overwhelming need to punish and destroy. What he really wanted was Zandar Nic’Omar broken and bloody at his feet instead of the training bot, but he just as quickly dismissed the idea as it floated through his mind. Zandar was a faithful warrior and lieutenant of his flagship, The Ax’Sandre, and the king could not allow his petty jealousy to tarnish his feelings for his brother in arms.

  Instead, he wiped his face down with a towel, and shouted, “Command, initialize another training bot.”

  A computerized male voice replied, “Affirmative. Additionally, Captain Mikael R’Varsel requests an audience and awaits your decision.”

  Korian lowered his eyebrows in consternation, but then his expression cleared. “Command, terminate request for training bot and grant entrance to Captain R’Varsel to the training room.”

  He grinned as the panel slid open to allow the tall, muscled warrior entrance. Though similar in coloring to Korian, the Captain was several inches taller and narrower of shoulder, yet his body was still corded with muscle. His hair was shorn closer to his scalp and his face sported a trim and roguish beard that did little to hide his scowl and foul mood. Even though Korian could tell that his old friend wasn’t happy to be there, he still paused to clasp his hand to his heart in the warrior salute and Korian returned it automatically.

  “Though the hour is late for a visit, your timing is opportune, old friend,” Korian greeted the other male. “I find myself in need of a sparring partner.”

  Mikael cast his gaze at the remains of the broken training bot and arched his eyebrow. “I am of a mind to take you up on your offer, my king, especially since I was roused from my bed by my angry lifemate.”

  Even though Korian knew what prompted this visit, he decided to play ignorant. “She must not have been too angry, or you would likely be headed to the medi-unit instead of barging into my home in the middle of the night,” he taunted the older man.

  Mikael growled his reply as he stripped off his shirt and began to twist and flex to warm up his muscles. “You are lucky that you are not in need of a medi-unit yourself. I had to use all my powers of persuasion to keep Katsuko from coming here herself. She was most upset on behalf of her friend after receiving a transmission from her this eve. I only managed to convince her to allow me to come in her stead.”

  “Then consider me in your debt, warrior, for I have seen the damage that your Mahoney can inflict on unsuspecting males and it would only undermine my throne further to be bested by your female. Come take her place, then, Mikael, and let us take our frustrations out on one another,” the king beckoned his warrior.

  “With pleasure,” the captain growled as he charged at the shorter man.

  The sound of their flesh impacting echoed in the large room like a sonic boom when their bodies collided. Mikael got in a good punch to Korian’s gut and the king grinned as he doubled over in pain even as he reached down to grab the taller man’s foot and heaved him backward until he lost his balance and crashed to the floor. Korian followed him down and rained hard blows on the captain’s face until Mikael cracked him in the temple with a hard elbow and sent him sprawling.

  Mikael gained his feet and casually wiped away the trail of blood trickling from his swollen nose. “Perhaps I have knocked some sense into you, Korian, for I mean to know why Jessica MacGregor contacted my lifemate with angry tears streaming down her face.”

  Korian felt the warrior’s words like a blow to his face. He scrambled to his feet as the bigger man stalked him and looked for an opening for another attack. “It was not my intention to upset her, Mikael. It was only a misunderstanding,” he tried to explain.

  Mikael swung for his face and Korian just barely managed to dodge the blow and felt the force of his swing in the air that blew his hair back from his sweaty face. “Misunderstanding? What part of your conversation did she misunderstand? Was it the part where you threatened the Warrior Challenge on any warrior that so much as touched her, or the part where you led her into believing you wished to join your body with hers moments before rejecting her altogether?” he snarled as he finally landed a blow to the king’s nose.

  Korian heard the crunch of cartilage and his head snapped back. Even as the pain exploded behind his eyes, he embraced it. He knew he deserved every bit of the punishment that Mikael could dish out, but he still charged forward and tackled the other man to the ground and delivered a punishing fist into his kidney. The fight continued in earnest as the two warriors traded blows, rolling around on the springy flooring and escaping chokeholds until they were both dripping with sweat and blood.

  Finally, Korian held up his hand and called, “I yield, Mikael.”

  Mikael immediately lowered his fists and relaxed the tension in his body. Limping over to the coolant case, he extracted two containers of zala water and passed one to his liege. Korian accepted the offering with good grace and slid down the wall until his bottom was flush with the floor and his friend followed suit.

  As if they hadn’t just spent the better part of the last hour fighting, Korian picked up on their conversation where it left off. “I didn’t mean for that to happen, Mikael, I swear i
t to you. I am still not sure what came over me. She was just standing there in my garden, her hair floating on the breeze like living flame, and blithely informing me that she wished to spend time alone with her warriors. The thought of Zandar Nic’Omar with his hands all over her drove me to madness. And then for her to offer herself to me instead? I thought I had died and gone to the stars.”

  Mikael swished the water around in his mouth and swallowed before answering. “I do not see the problem here, my king. I would have given anything for Katsuko to fall into my bed so easily. Why do you hold yourself back from taking what she offers you?”

  Korian banged his head on the wall a few times before he finally replied, “I cannot afford the distraction she poses, Mikael. There is danger all around me from within my court and from enemies with stolen cloaking tech, and I know that if I get just one taste of the sweet nectar between her thighs, I will never wish to come back up for air. She will be here for only a short time before she leaves for her own world again and I do not want any feelings of attachment to complicate her mission here.”

  The stern captain shot his friend a disbelieving look. “From what I am hearing from you both, there seems to already be ‘feelings of attachment.’ Why do you insist that she must return home at the end of the month? I have spent much time with Jessica MacGregor and she is kind and compassionate, not to mention highly intelligent and capable. She would be a welcome addition to our citizenry should she wish to stay, and I know that my own lifemate would be thrilled to have her here. The unmated warriors aboard my ship are all half in love with her, so if you do not wish to take her for your own lifemate at the end of her captivity, then she will not be short of suitors.”

  Korian growled and crushed the container in his bruised and bloodied fist. “You do not need to remind me that other males lust for her. She has made that point more than clear,” he snarled.