Erun (Scifi Alien Romance) (The Ujal Book 4) (17 page)

“Mine?” He raised his eyebrows, unable to believe he’d been that injured by a handful of men and their weapons.

Nessa nodded and Sece confirmed with a low yes. The doctor paused beside the bed, tapped a few buttons on the pad and then focused on him. “Five bullets—crude but effective—four puncture wounds, two broken ribs and one punctured lung.”

Erun shrugged. “Not too bad.”

“Not too bad?” He could not miss the disbelief in Nessa’s voice. Nor did he miss the edge of hysteria that tinged each syllable.

“
Lofei
,” he murmured and grabbed her when she threatened to retreat. Yet, beside the bed was not close enough for him. Instead, he continued his pull until she sat beside him on the bed. Not as close as he desired, but better. “I was the champion of the sphere. I did not rise to such a rank without taking damage.”

“But worse?”

He shrugged. “A trident has three prongs and Ujal have two hands to make fists. The
bullets
were new, but pain is not a stranger in my life.”

“I…” A hoarse whisper escaped her lips and trembles wracked her body. Fear or shock? It was hard to tell. “I…”

“Nessa,” he kept his voice just as low and captured her gaze with his own. “I am well. I have lived through worse and I am still here.”

“But they—”

“No one can keep me from you. You lived for me once and you must know I will always live for you and Tabby.”

“How do you know I lived for you?”

He hated the scars that lined her throat, but he slid his fingers over the raised flesh nonetheless. “Because as you lay unconscious in one of these uncomfortable beds, you did not only call out of our Tabby.” He let the truth come through in his gaze. “You also called for me. You knew, even then, we were meant to be.”

“Erun.” The sweet sigh that came as she said his name, the way the tail end seemed to draw out until she had no breath, told him the last vestiges of her panic were gone. And in its place were the emotions still clogging his throat.

“I am here,
lofei,
and I will not leave you.” He tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear and took the opportunity to slide his finger along the line of her jaw. “Either of you.”

When she finally nodded, seeming to accept his words as truth, he focused on Sece. “Not that I do not enjoy seeing you, Sece, but why am I receiving a second hypo?”

“Try third,” she drawled and he jerked back in surprise. “The first kept you breathing and the second initiated your healing.”

“And the third?”

That
had the young female blushing. “Uh…” she licked her lips and a pale flush filled her cheeks. “Can we agree it is necessary and not provide justification? I’m assuming you want to be legally mated.”

He did not know what embarrassed her so, but he would not take any more
krilate
than needed. He hated the drug, hated it coursing through his veins, and the reason behind its necessity. “No.”

Sece focused on the datapad and grumbled to herself. “Difficult, annoying male.”

“Sece?”

She huffed and he realized the female was spending too much time with the human-Ujal mates. She was acquiring too many of their traits. Then again, those idiosyncrasies would ensure she gave Niax a
run for his money
as humans said. Since Niax could be a giant pain in Erun’s ass, he no longer saw her choice in friends in a negative light.

Sece straightened and pulled back her shoulders. She stared at the far wall as she spoke and struggled through her message. “It is the opinion of the resident geneticists that a conversion of Vanessa Brooks previously Walker using Erun fa Arex’s genetic material is inadvisable and the request submitted to the local council has been denied.”

Erun seethed.
Seethed
. His fury rose hot and fast, the emotions fueled by the recent injections of
krilate
. “
What?
”

Sece flinched and closed her eyes. She turned her head in his direction but would not look at him. “It is
my
opinion they are assholes.” When he remained silent, she opened her eyes one at a time. As if she was afraid to meet his furious gaze.

She had reason to be afraid. He was ready to commit murder. He would begin with the geneticists.

“Sece, what do you mean?” he growled. “Why?”

“Everything is political, Erun. You know this. It is political and they are
old
and while they know the prince and principessa value you, they don’t necessarily want you tainting their gene pool by assisting in Vanessa’s transition.”

Nessa practically shouted her question before he could. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

Sece winced. “No. But I have run the tests, Erun. Had your body not been exposed to
krilate
at such a young age… I believe Nessa would be your match. You cannot transition her with sex due to the
krilate
, but I believe the connection exists. It will not take much to modify her genetic material to be fully in sync with yours.” Sece’s attention bounced between him and Nessa before finally settling on his mate. “You feel it, do you not? The desire to be at his side at all times? Even when you cannot decide if you’d like to do murder or kiss him, you are unable to breathe without him.”

True feelings filled the young female’s gaze and he knew Sece revealed emotions that attacked her in Niax’s presence.

“Yes,” Nessa whispered.

“You two are meant for one another. Even if they ordered me to use the material from another, I could not. Not without speaking with you both first and allowing you the choice. You must take what you know and decide.”

“I do not care what they say. No other’s material will enter my female.
None.
” He would not budge on this.

“Nessa?”

“Of course. I don’t want anyone else. Erun… Erun’s mine. Mine and Tabby’s.”

Sece nodded. “I believed you would say that.” She lifted the hypo. “It is a third dose of
krilate
.”

“I hate that drug.”

“But you will want to attend your mate once she is injected.” A blush once again filled Sece’s cheeks. Ah, to be young and easily embarrassed. “I spoke with the human-Ujal mates and they assured me that once transition begins and the initial pain recedes, they are quite, uh, desirous of their mate. Extremely so.” Her attention shifted from him to Nessa and back again.
“Extremely.
”

“Oh.” Nessa understood first. “
Oh
.”

“What?” He tore his attention from Sece. “What?”

“I’ll, uh, need you.”

“You always need me.” He frowned.

“No,” she shook her head. “
Need
you.” He raised his eyebrows in question and she rolled her eyes before answering his silent question. “I will become
extremely
aroused and
need
you.”

“Many times,” Sece interjected. “Possibly hours. Perhaps into the morning. We are doing the transition in one shot rather than over time like Rhal’s Cara. I am violating the genetic council’s directive so we cannot chance them stopping us. It will be even more than what she would receive during a traditional mating.”

“
Oh.
” Now it was his turn to understand. And then he held out his arm. “Give me the third injection. Now.” He smiled at his mate. “I wish to be strong for you. For once I have one taste, it may be me who does not wish to end our night.”

Nessa’s voice hitched and her lips parted with a panting breath. “Erun.”

He liked the breathy way she said his name. A lot.

The sting of the hypo hardly registered. Not when his attention was fully transfixed on Nessa, the aroused flush to her face and the way her nipples pebbled within her shirt. Her blood red shirt.

A reminder of what they’d experienced not long ago.

“Sece, when can Nessa take her injection? I’d like to clean up before we get dirty once more.”

More blushing from his mate. And Sece.

Females
.

Sece withdrew another hypo from her pocket. “This is highly concentrated genetic material. I broke it down to the bare necessities and left only the catalyst for her change and your required genetic material. It is enough to push the transition upon her. There is an apartment in the next building that has been procured for your use.”

“By whom?”

“Tave and Rina wish you a happy mating,” Sece immediately replied.

It was nice to have his ruler’s support. When it came to the genetic council, it might be necessary to have Tave at his side.

“Place the hypo against her skin and depress this button.” Her gaze flicked between them. “It
will
leave a scar. It is unavoidable. The changes it instigates will leave her body unable to deal with more than her change. The small injection site will be the last thing it wishes to address.”

“So put it somewhere I don’t necessarily want others to see.” Nessa nodded. “Got it.”

“I wish for all to see the sacrifice you made to be mine.” It would also be a warning for one and all. He wondered if the hypo could be reshaped to leave a scar that looked like his name.

“Erun.” He was amazed at the way his name could mean so many things depending on her tone.

“It does not—” The whoosh of the room’s doors parting cut off Sece.

Faim strode in, hypo in hand, and he quickly hid it behind his back. “Sece, what are you doing here?” he accused.

“
Sire
, I could ask the same. What are you hiding there?”

“Nothing, youngling. Run along now.”

“Me?” Sece gestured at herself. “You want
me
to run along? Perhaps it is your time to depart,
old male
.”

Ouch.
His thought was mimicked by Vanessa’s low whisper. “Ouch.”

“Sece, you are dealing with things that do not concern you.” Faim was gruff and condescending.

Erun waited to see the female’s response and it was not long in coming. “I’m dealing with things which don’t concern me? Nessa is my sister’s
dam
and the genetic council denied them their happiness because
old males
such as yourself bow and scrape to them.”

The young female seethed and he wondered if there was a way to safely escape before
sire
and daughter began brawling.

“Sece,” Faim growled.

“
Sire,
” Sece sneered.

“Enough!” Erun bellowed, silencing them both. “Faim, your youngling is here to assist us. Either allow her to do so or leave.” He would not be denied his mate.

“You…” Faim’s glare went from Erun to Sece. “Did you account for his—”

“Yes.”

“And for the lack of protein in—”

Sece snorted. “Of course.”

“And what about his recent—”

Sece sighed. “I am not a youngling who does not know one chromosome from another,
sire
. I would take the injection myself as proof if—”

“You will not!” Niax’s bellow joined their group.

Erun growled. “Silence!”

And then he had silence. “Sece, Faim, decide which hypo I will receive for my mate and then leave. Niax, quit being the hole of an ass and follow Sece. Perhaps she will not gut you, but if you do not leave this room immediately I
definitely
will.”

In moments the room was empty save his mate.

Threats of death obviously worked.

Erun held her future in his hands. The innocuous piece of metal contained the catalyst for her transition and her hands itched with the need to snatch it and press the end to her arm. Or hip. Thigh? Screw it, she didn’t care, she just wanted the transition to
begin
.

And it would. Just as soon as they managed to get to the space set aside for them.

“Nessa?”

“Huh?” She blinked and shook her head. She’d gotten lost in her own mind and now focused on her mate. “Sorry, what?”

“Is this what you desire? Do you still want—”

“Don’t you?” Oh, God, what if he didn’t?

“Of course,
lofei
. I want nothing more than to have you by my side within the seas, but,” he reached for her, thumb tracing small circles on her cheekbone. “There have been countless changes in recent days. I do not want you to choose a life with me out of necessity. There are other males…”

Erun’s eye color flashed purple, telling her he didn’t want her anywhere near other males. She liked that bit of possessiveness as well as his willingness to let her go. She didn’t
want
to be released, but she relished the fact he was willing to do what he could to make her happy.

“I don’t want another male. I’m attracted to you and you’re wonderful with Tabby. Your friends sing your praises and you nearly
died
to protect me. You’re every definition of a fit and honorable Ujal, Erun. And I wanted to mate you even before Sece said we would have been biologically compatible.” She turned her head and pressed a soft kiss to his callused palm. “What about you? You didn’t like me much not long ago.”

He grunted. “Sometimes males will admit to being mistaken. I am not doing so,” he narrowed his eyes. “But on occasion, it happens.”

That had her grinning. “So, we’re gonna do this, then.”

This had him snickering. “As if there was any question.” His eyes grew serious and sharp. “Know this, Vanessa Brooks, you are mine. You are mine before we give you this injection and you will be mine after. Nothing can change the truth. Do you hear my words?”

“I hear you,” she whispered and trembled, her body heating with his passion. Arousal thrummed in her veins, warming her from within. It’d twisted and turned inside her the moment she understood Sece’s message. She couldn’t wait to feel him deep inside her, claiming her for all to know.

“Good. Then let us go.” He reached for the tubes leading into his right arm and tugged, yanking them free of his flesh.

“What the hell are you doing?” She scrambled for a cloth or tissue or
something
to stem the blood flow, only to see the wounds close on their own after two breaths. “What…”

Erun reached over and repeated the procedure on his other arm, tugging the clear tubes free. When he dropped them to the bed, he looked at her. “What, what?”

“You just…” She pointed at the rapidly closing cuts.