Xylon Warriors II: His Carnal Need Read online

  HIS CARNAL NEED

  An Ellora’s Cave Publication, June 2005

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

  1337 Commerce Drive, #13

  Stow, OH 44224

  ISBN MS Reader (LIT) ISBN # 1-4199-0269-5

  Other available formats (no ISBNs are assigned):

  Adobe (PDF), Rocketbook (RB), Mobipocket (PRC) & HTML

  HIS CARNAL NEED Copyright© 2005 RUTH D. KERCE

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. They are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  Edited by Pamela Campbell.

  Cover art by Syneca.

  Warning:

  The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. His Carnal Need has been rated E–rotic by a minimum of three independent reviewers.

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (E-rotic), and X (X-treme).

  S-ensuous love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination.

  E-rotic love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall word count. In addition, some E-rated titles might contain fantasy material that some readers find objectionable, such as bondage, submission, same sex encounters, forced seductions, and so forth. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry; it is common, for instance, for an author to use words such as “fucking”, “cock”, “pussy”, and such within their work of literature.

  X-treme titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Unlike E-rated titles, stories designated with the letter X tend to contain controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.

  Xylon Warriors:

  His Carnal Need

  Ruth D. Kerce

  Prologue

  The Sand Moon

  Obscured by heavy, black clouds from an approaching storm, no stars or planets glittered in the eerie-looking night sky. She’d counted on the darkness and worsening weather to hide her presence and keep her safe. She’d counted wrong.

  Josella’s pulse raced, and her heart pounded against her ribs. She kicked out a half-broken window from the second story of the abandoned abode she was hiding in and crawled onto the outside ledge. Quiet did her little good now. She needed to escape.

  She cut herself on a jagged piece of glass, and blood trickled down her arm. She winced, but ignored the wound…and the pain. She’d tend to it later.

  The Egesa had found her!

  Raised in another star system, the first time she’d seen the half-lizard, half-humanoid creatures with their bald heads, yellow eyes, long thin tongues, and claw-like hands, she’d screamed her head off. Her sister had warned her about the vile Slave Masters, but the warning didn’t do the monsters justice.

  She’d since learned the Egesa considered humanoid females a prime catch. On the Sand Moon, she was considered sexual currency among many of the gang-like groups.

  As she swung onto the branch of a nearby tree, their foul stench filled her nostrils. The creatures lurked close by. Despite their attempt at stealth, she heard them moving through the building, trying to locate her.

  Grateful she hadn’t chosen a place in the flatlands to hide, she shimmied down the tree and ran into the hills. She knew of another place a few miles away. Only by moving from place to place had she survived so far. Her luck wouldn’t last forever. She needed to find a way off the moon soon or find a protector.

  Previously held captive on Marid, the main moon of Xylon, she’d stowed away on an orbiter, trying to escape the Egesa Slave Masters who had held her. On Marid, she’d been a mine worker, so she hadn’t worried about sexual abuse, just torture. Just. She’d blocked out many of the memories for her own sanity. When she’d boarded the orbiter, she’d hoped they were headed to Xylon, where her sister lived—where she would be safe. But that had been wishful thinking.

  If she’d known they were traveling to the Sand Moon, the most primitive of the Banishment Zones, she might have stayed put on Marid. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d eaten. She stopped to catch her breath.

  A light breeze fluttered her long hair into her face. She pushed the tangled strands away, cringing at the gritty feel on her fingers. Sand. She hated the sand.

  “Josella…” a voice rasped in the darkness.

  Her heart leapt, and she took off running. She couldn’t let them find her. Please, Halah, she begged silently to the sister she hadn’t seen in years. Halah had cared for her after their parents died in an explosion. She was the only person Josella truly loved and trusted. Please, rescue me.

  Chapter One

  The Lair of Xylon

  The crowd didn’t deter him. He knew what he wanted, what he needed, what he intended to have. From across the room, he located her, a radiant beauty among women. He’d known she was here. He felt her energy.

  Her easy grace, combined with strength, intelligence, and a sensual innateness drew him like no other. His heart rate accelerated, and his body went on sexual alert. You belong to me!

  She attended the festivities only on official business. She never participated in the Joining Party rituals. He knew. Once his erotic visions of her had begun, he’d monitored her every move. “You are predestined as my mate, my beauty. I will allow no other male to claim you. Only me.”

  She’d dressed in the traditional female Joining colors of orchid and pink—instead of Warrior black and Medical white that reflected the status of a Xylon Warrior and Healer. He liked the feminine look. So did his cock, which stirred in anticipation of being gloved deep within her.

  Soon, her body, along with her emotions, would belong to him. He intended to show her every decadent, physical pleasure she’d ever imagined, as well as some she’d probably never dared even in her fantasies.

  Where her emotions were concerned, he knew her dark secrets. He understood what she needed, maybe better than she. The visions, explicit and detailed, revealed her deepest desires to him. He planned to give her every one of those desires for as long as life existed in his body—a body that throbbed with need as he watched her search the crowd, looking for signs of trouble.

  The flowing, almost sheer pink skirt she wore hung down to her knees. Split on all four sides, the garment exposed a good amount of shapely thigh with each step she took. Underneath, she wore a translucent covering that barely hid her pussy from his view. His hands fisted at his sides. He wanted to rip away the material and plunge his fingers up inside her, until she cried out to him in ecstasy.

  The orchid-colored sleeveless top, cut deep in front and narrow on the sides, allowed an enticing view of her full breasts. He itched to caress those mounds, brush his mouth along the soft-looking flesh, and suck the nipples he saw straining against the thin material.

  The fact that other Warriors also saw her seductive assets made him crazy. A low growl rumbled from his throat. He wanted to hide her away from all others’ eyes, make certain she craved what he alone offered—total emotional and sexual completion.

  More than arrogance about the ability to satiate her fueled his thoughts and actions. He’d do anything to make her want and need him. Of her own free will, not from a sense of duty to Xylon and their society, or as a result of predestined visions, but because she couldn’t live without him and what he could give her.

  A sparkle, trailing along her satiny tresses, captured his attention. Her cinnamon-colored hair hung in a braid, woven with a golden ribbon, all the way
down to her waist. He preferred her hair loose, and images of the long strands brushing across his naked body came to mind.

  She sexually teased her lovers with great delight, or so he’d heard. She liked control. So did he. Regardless of her declared sexual tastes, he knew in reality she craved even more carnal, erotic experiences. He’d see that she got them.

  Through him, she’d learn the pleasures of submission. Her body trapped beneath his, vulnerable, with her begging him to give her his cock, to take her to sexual heights she’d never known, was a fantasy he would fulfill.

  She stepped clear of the crowd, and he eased closer. Even from this distance, her eyes drew him, identical in color to her hair, sparkling with intelligence and sensual secrets. With his view of her now unobstructed, he took in her gorgeous legs, toned and long, even though she wasn’t a tall woman. He ached to feel those legs wrapped around his waist while he rode her hard.

  Golden laces adorned her feet. Not close enough to see her toes, he imagined a soft pink covered the nails. He wondered how she’d react to his tongue grazing the soles of her delicate feet, lapping between each small digit.

  The urge to claim her, now, hit him so hard he felt lightheaded. Because of her breeder status, many male Warriors wanted to Brand her as their own, but all had failed. He would not fail. She was his breeder-mate. The visions showed him the truth. You’ve seen our future, as well, haven’t you?

  “That’s why you’ve refused all others,” he said aloud.

  A soft voice whispered, “Refuse? I would never refuse a Class 1 fuck, honey.” A feminine tongue licked at his ear. “Come with me and my friends. We will pleasure your body.”

  He frowned and brushed aside the female seeking attention. “Find someone else.” Other women paled in comparison to her. He stalked forward, never taking his eyes off the woman soon to be his.

  Leila Abdera didn’t see him, but she felt him stalking her, felt his sensual pull. In an attempt to evade him, she weaved through the throng of Xylon Warriors engaged in the Joining Party festivities.

  Joining Parties, where Warriors indulged in sex acts while others watched, weren’t a preference of hers. But as a Xylon Healer, she attended these events in case anyone overindulged and required treatment.

  Their entire society revolved around the joining of bodies, and sometimes even minds, for true breeder-mates. Or so the legends told. The complete physical and mental connections kept them unified and strong. Until recently…

  Due to constant attacks from the Egesa Slave Masters, determined to either enslave or extinguish Xylon’s people, their society had suffered greatly. Xylon’s new Warrior Leader, after taking control, had vowed to shift the balance of power and rebuild their fragile numbers so they could effectively fight their enemies once more.

  The Joining Parties helped the Warriors relax after their intensive training sessions. These occasional festivities drew most, if not all, those inhabiting The Lair—the underground headquarters for the men and women commissioned to protect the planet.

  Not to detract from the event tonight, she wore the female garb expected of participants, though she no longer indulged. Certainly, one less Warrior wouldn’t make any difference.

  But he was persistent, intense, determined. Carnal and raw in his needs. Her body craved him. Her mind would not allow it, other than in her fantasies.

  The man was too dominant. A Class 1 Warrior. He would need to tame her, insist on submission. Submission was not an option for her. Only when she maintained sexual control did she allow herself to join with another. Abused in the past, she had long ago determined never again to put herself into a vulnerable situation. Still, the thought of allowing this one man control over her body, to experience the darker taste of complete sexual surrender, intrigued her.

  She shook her head. The joining going on around her had affected her thinking and sensitized her body, making it difficult to resist her burgeoning needs. Giving in to her needs would only lead to disaster. Normally, she managed these events without incident. Tonight was different. She felt him touching her mentally, manipulating and changing the images in her head to something sexually wicked, each time her gaze flickered over an erotic coupling. “That’s impossible. I know he can’t do that.”

  Her nipples hardened and moisture gathered between her thighs. She often experienced erotic visions of them together. Not official breeder visions, she wouldn’t accept the events as such, only powerful fantasies. Within the sensual thoughts, she gave him what he desired and enjoyed it. Tonight the decadent images, stronger than usual, ran wild and plagued her at every turn, screaming to be fulfilled. If he approached her now…

  “No.” She circled around a banquet table, seeking a distraction. Her stomach rumbled from the mixture of sweet, tangy, and spicy odors. Food would take her mind off her other, physical hunger.

  Before she indulged, a particularly lusty threesome caught her attention. Pitch Pantera, a Class 2 Warrior, along with the Xylon Leader’s two sisters, lay naked atop a low platform, among a pile of multicolored rugs and pillows. One woman hungrily sucked Pitch’s cock, taking his full length down her throat. The other crawled along his body and straddled his face. She lowered her shaved pussy over his mouth. “Lick me,” Leila heard the woman order in a tone that no lower-ranking Warrior would ever disobey. Both females held the highest-level Class 1 ranking and used their power unabashedly to fulfill their needs. Pitch spread her wet folds and tongued her lustily.

  Though normally not averse to watching, Leila turned away. She felt too achy and on edge tonight. If she stayed here much longer, her body would force her to participate with someone, somehow, or she’d go mad with wanting.

  She rushed forward and smashed into a broad chest. Masculine fingers wrapped around her forearms, restraining her. Her heart lurched, and a gasp caught in her throat.

  Panicked, she tried to pull away. Her eyes snapped up to the face of the male holding her. “Oh.” She breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. “Kam.” It wasn’t him. Nor any other who might demand compliance. She glanced down at his hands on her. “What are you doing?”

  “Looking for you.” His voice deepened. “I need you, Leila.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. “Need me?” Someone bumped into her, pushing her closer to the Warrior’s body. Her breasts grazed Kam Nextor’s chest, and her nipples hardened so much they hurt. His muscular thigh pressed against her pussy. When he made no move to step away from the intimate contact, uneasiness crept up her spine. “Kam?”

  She tried to pull back, but he held her tightly. The tall, blond-haired Warrior, with kind blue eyes, and half-brother to the mate of the Warrior Leader, had always made her feel safe in the past. Now, she wasn’t so certain. Though in his arms, she remained protected from any other Warriors still seeking a joiner.

  I’m on edge and paranoid. Kam was her friend and wanted nothing more from her than that. She trusted him. Her eyes rose to meet his. “You look pale.” She cupped his cheek, checking his temperature against her palm. She was about to ask him if he felt ill, when she heard a low growl, not from him, but originating elsewhere. The vibration skittered along her ultra-sensitive nerves. She glanced over her shoulder. No one seemed to be paying them any special attention. Where had that sound come from?

  Kam whispered in her ear. “I need a shot.” His fingers tightened around her arms, almost painfully, drawing her attention back to him.

  She pushed away the apprehensive feeling enveloping her, and her gaze returned to his. His request didn’t surprise her. They’d been through this too often lately. “Kam… You’ve had enough.” His addiction to the special formula created to treat him saddened her. She wished another, better, way existed to ease his pain. “Besides, I can’t leave the party. You know that.”

  “Please.” He rubbed his thigh along her pussy.

  Oh! To avoid gasping at the incredible feel of his thigh between hers, she chewed at her bottom lip. His movement, no doubt on purpose to sway her, remin
ded her of how long she’d gone without an orgasm, even a small one.

  “Three other Healers are here. Just one more shot to see me through for a while. We have a mission coming up. I need to stay strong.”

  The pleading look in his eyes softened her heart to his need, and compassion overruled better judgment. His headaches were steadily growing worse and more frequent. She knew he feared for his sanity. The shots helped, but they overstimulated his body, raising his heart rate and blood pressure. And lately the medicine made him more aggressive.

  “Is the pain bad?”

  “Not yet, but the throbbing started about an hour ago. I won’t make it through the night.” He moved his thigh away from her.

  She almost groaned at the loss of contact. She needed to come badly.

  “Please, Leila. Help me.”

  She couldn’t refuse to ease his suffering. “Do you have your transport-connector?”

  He relaxed, releasing his hold on her. “Yes.” He unhooked the connector from his belt. “The lab?”

  “My quarters.” She kept a small supply of special drugs there, for running tests and experiments in private during off-hours. As a perk of being in charge of the medical facility, she’d arranged installation of custom equipment right into her assigned living space.

  “Thanks, Leila.” He leaned down and brushed a soft kiss across her cheek. In the next instant, the air shimmered, and he was gone.

  She reached for the transport-connector on her woven belt of gold and black-colored material to follow.

  A muscular arm snaked around her waist, pulling her roughly back against a body as hard as stone. Not only his chest and stomach, but she also felt iron thighs and an equally iron-hard cock pressing close. A spicy scent teased her nostrils. She didn’t need to look. She knew who had her restrained. Him.