Runner's Moon Trilogy Megabook Series (52 page)

Sarah frowned, her eyes still closed. "What do you mean?

He'll ... die?"

"Yes, Sarah. Simolif will die."

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"No." The sound came out of her mouth before she was aware of it. Her eyes flew open to find Jebaral's staring directly at her. They were a dark brown, the color of melted chocolate. And tiny gold flecks sparkled in them. She raised a hand to point it out. "Your eyes. The flecks. Is that part of being Ruinos?"

"It's the only part of us we cannot change," Jebaral admitted, sitting back. A flash of pain crossed his face, and he looked over to where Hannah sat nearby. "I need to rest. I need your help. Sarah, I'm sorry."

"Oh, gosh! I'm sorry! Forgive me," she hurried to say, rising to her feet.

Hannah muttered an, "Excuse us, please," and helped her husband to rise. Slowly they made their way out of the kitchen and down the short hallway, disappearing into one of the bedrooms. Sarah remained standing, watching them go, aware of the way they touched each other, the obvious love that was present in every gesture and every look.

"Sarah."

She turned back to where Tiron was nestled in her husband's lap.

"Close your eyes," the Ruinos woman whispered.

She obeyed.

"Think of him. Think of how much you love him, and why you love him, and how you came to love him. Then send that thought to him."

Send it to him.

I have to make love to him in his Ruinos form, or that connection could be lost. Simon could die.

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He could die.

Die.

No. No! Simon, no!

The pain in her heart was incredible. Tight, choking, squeezing everything out of her ... until a gentle sweetness touched her. Caressed her. His answer, soothing her fears.

Reassuring her that it didn't have to be that way. Loving her even though he understood she might never completely accept him.

Sarah took a ragged breath. "How?"

"Don't ask. Just do it."

Think of him? What was it about him that had made her fall in love with him? Was it the moment in the car when he held her while she wept? Or during the afterglow when they'd made love for the first time?

No.

Sarah opened her eyes.

It was that morning when she looked out her office window and found him looking up, searching for her. He had known she was there. He just didn't know what she looked like. Not until that moment. And he had smiled when he finally spotted her. Smiled. At her. His life mate. His blood mate. The only woman in the universe who would ever complete his life and bring him joy. Just as he would bring her indescribable happiness for the rest of hers.

Her. Sarah Anne Drumman.

"Think of him. Think of how much you love him, and why you love him, and how you came to love him. Then send that thought to him."

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Tears rolled down her cheeks. Turning toward the door, she called out to him with her heart as well as her mind.

Hannah called Jeb t'kor. Is that what I would call you? My t'kor?

"Yes. You would call me t'kor."

He was standing in the open doorway, looking fearful and hesitant, yet hopeful for that one chance. Like his brother, he wore jeans and nothing else.

More tears rushed into her eyes, but they couldn't hide the beauty of his human face. Or the one beneath it.

Sarah rushed into his embrace, feeling his strength flow into her exhausted body as his arms wrapped around her. His beloved minty scent was everywhere, filling all the dark places inside her with its calming fragrance. She kissed him and noticed how he still held back. "I've missed you," she murmured against his mouth.

"No more than I've missed you."

"We gotta talk. You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah."

She started to say more when the sound of a door closing interrupted them. Behind her the chairs around the kitchen table were empty. DeGrassi and Tiron had left out the back door to give them privacy.

Sarah turned back around and cupped Simon's face in her hands. She gazed into his eyes and at the perfection of his human self that had captivated so many women. "A true beauty and the beast," she giggled.

"A what?" He tried to smile back but failed. He was trembling with worry and trepidation, she realized.

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"Come." Taking his hand, she started to lead him toward the hallway, to the other bedroom she knew had to be in that direction. He balked, holding back. Sarah gave him an exasperated look. "Simolif Morr, do you or don't you want to make love to me tonight?"

"Uh ... I..."

"Do you have a tail?"

He frowned. "A tail? No."

"Good. Then get that delicious butt over here. Because if you take much longer making up your mind, I'm afraid I'll fall asleep on you." To prove her point, Sarah pulled the deputy's shirt over her head, baring her breasts for him to see. Then she turned her back on him and continued down the hallway, searching for the second bedroom.

He met her at the doorway and rushed her inside before she had the chance to giggle with delight.

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There was no overhead light switch, but there was a lamp on the nightstand near the door. Sarah switched it on. The simple room contained a queen-sized bed and a wardrobe.

Another door at the opposite end of the bed probably led to a closet. But more prevalent was the enormous window that nearly encompassed the entire wall. In its reflection she could see herself, dirty and half-naked. A shadow came up behind her, and she turned around to see Simon by the bed. He remained watching her, once again hesitant, waiting and terrified. Sadly, a smile from her did little to assuage his fear.

"Are you all right?" she whispered, suddenly just as shy as he was. "I mean, those men didn't hurt you or anything, did they?"

"No. I'm fine."

"What about Jeb-Jebaral?"

This time he gave her a small grin. "We use our human names when we're in human form, but you can call him Jeb anytime. The doctor says he needs bed rest, but otherwise he'll be his old self again before long. And now that we know you're safe, he knows he can relax and mend."

"That was pretty stupid of him, coming with you to try and save me," she commented, but she was silenced from any further remarks with a wave of his hand.

"Ruinos value family above everything else, even our own survival. Both Jeb and Tiron, as well as Hannah and Thom, 720

would risk their lives to save yours. And vice versa ... I hope."

The last words trailed off in a whisper. He glanced around the plain room, sighing.

Sarah cocked her head at him. "What took you so long getting back to the cabin? Isn't it closer on foot than by car?"

"Yeah, but we stopped at the river to ... wash up. And Tiron and I didn't want to push Jeb."

She nodded, understanding. Silently she climbed out of the rest of her clothing until she stood before him in the nude. "I would really like a hot shower to get this dirt and crap off of me. But I'm afraid that if I do, it'll relax me into an sleepy puddle. And then we won't be able to ... uhh ... I mean, we won't discover ... it."

This was ridiculous, she told herself. The two of them had made love three times already, and yet here she stood in front of him like a virgin waiting to be taken.

Yes, a little voice answered her. But the rules have changed. And the stakes have increased proportionally.

"Sarah, if you would rather we wait—" Simon started to offer.

A sliver of pain slipped into her heart. Sarah immediately identified it as coming from him, but not intentionally. Simon would never hurt her or in any way cause her to be hurt. The pain she felt was an echo of what he was feeling, and knowing that sent a fresh, hot wave of tears to her eyes.

"T'kor." She walked over to him, giving the door a shove to close it. Simon continued to stare at her. The green flecks in his eyes literally swirled with his anxiety.

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Her hands went to the waist of his jeans and slowly unbuttoned them. Almost immediately she could see his erection swelling against the soft denim, rising with anticipation and hunger. His hands remained by his sides, the fingers balled into fists. His breathing had escalated, and Sarah knew there was no turning back from what they were about to do. He was going to let her set the pace, and for that she was grateful.

Lowering the zipper, she let the pants slide over his thighs and perfect buttocks. His penis sprang clear, literally quivering in the night air. Sarah gently wrapped her fingers around it, and her touch made him gasp aloud.

"It's more intense, isn't it?" she whispered.

"Yes."

She glanced up, still holding him. Shocked, she saw tears on his cheeks. "Ruinos can cry?"

"And love. And hope. And suffer. Just like humans," he replied in a voice gravelly with emotion.

Releasing him, she moved close enough so that his member nudged her abdomen like a silken length of iron.

"When you change, is it all at once? Or is it a little at a time?"

"We, umm, we can change a little at a time."

"What I mean is, can you change just your head? For starters?"

"Yes. Slow or fast?"

"Slow. I need to adjust to that first, I think."

Simon nodded, adding, "Want to step back a bit?"

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His own fear made her smile. The man was deathly afraid of losing her, but it would take more than just words from her to convince him there was no longer anything to be afraid of.

Seeing his tears, it was as if her heart opened like a new spring blossom. This man had endured things no normal man would never witness. What no normal man would have survived. Yet throughout every horror, he had continued to cling to the hope of finding the one woman he could love for the rest of his life.

Do you believe in love at first sight?

"Oh, sweetest heavens, do I ever," she breathed, giving him the warmest smile she could muster.

He gave her a frown. "What?"

"Change for me, Simolif Morr. Change for me. Please.

Now."

The features didn't move so much as melt. The corn silk-colored hair receded into the skull. The skin darkened. The straight nose flattened slightly. The full lips thinned. The ears became transparent and fan-shaped, wing-like.

But the eyes, those incredible eyes that appeared turquoise from a distance, never changed.

Blinking, Sarah reached up to touch the green, mottled cheek. It was unbelievably smooth. Hairless. "Soft as a baby's bottom," she murmured. "You don't have a beard?"

"No. No facial hair," the creature spoke. But it was Simolif speaking, not some fearsome monster from unspoken nightmares. The eyes were his. The voice was his. And the heart that beat furiously inside his strong chest was still Simon's.

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Sarah sniffed. The minty smell was his, too, and growing more distinct. "Do I really smell like rain to you?"

"Yes. Gentle rain. Life-giving rain. Like a refreshing shower," he told her.

Like a refreshing shower. She liked the way that sounded, rather than being told she smelled like ozone.

"Okay. Now your shoulders and arms."

The difference in his upper torso was not as pronounced.

But there were some hard, almost leathery portions of skin capping his shoulders.

"It's part of you?" she asked, touching it.

Simon nodded. "We have them on several areas of our bodies. They act as a kind of armor."

She lifted one of his hands to gingerly examine it. He had four digits, which surprised her. But rather than fingernails, each extension ended in a huge curved claw. Sarah touched one experimentally.

"Don't worry. It won't accidentally cut you," Simon assured her.

"Why are yours different from Tiron's?"

"Because she's female and I'm male," he answered, amused.

Involuntarily, Sarah's eyes dropped to the still ramrod-stiff erection waiting for her attention. "Oh, yeah. You're definitely all male." The comment finally got a chuckle out of him, and she smiled up into his face. "And that's why she's also got those cute little wings and you don't?"

He nodded. "Exactly."

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"Simon ... that night that man tried to rape me, and tonight when Dreese was brutalizing me, I heard a roar. It sounded like an animal roar, but throatier. Inhuman. That was you, wasn't it?"

"Yes. Forgive me. My anger overcame me. Did I frighten you?"

"At first. I guess deep down I knew it wasn't meant for me, so don't apologize. All right, let's go with the rest of you."

This time she did step back to take in the full effect. Like his arms and shoulders, the difference wasn't as drastic as it had been with his face. Sarah could see where his shapeshifting wasn't so much about changing his body as it was covering his body with an outer disguise. It reminded her of putting on a costume and mask. The human body Simon Morr wore was pretty much a replica of his Ruinos body, only in a different color.

Once the transformation was complete, Sarah looked up at him and smiled, and walked into his embrace. This time there was no sense of holding back in his kisses, nor in the warmth which flooded her.

They fell onto the bed, disregarding the blanket cover and the sheets. Dawn was a few short hours away, and they both were exhausted beyond words. It would be morning before Sarah knew she could spare the luxury of checking him out more closely. She was looking forward to it. Afterwards, she knew she had the rest of her life to discover all the little differences and nuances in her lover's makeup. But for now, at this moment, they only needed to do one thing before they could succumb to sleep.

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Rolling onto her back, Sarah watched as Simon got up on his knees and positioned himself between her thighs. His eyes never left her face even while his hands never stopped caressing her, gliding tenderly over the darkening bruises on her breasts and arms. The wide palms were calloused, but his touch was soothing. The thick claws teased her nipples into aching points. Love warmed her with every stroke.

"For a while there," she confessed softly, "back at the mill, I thought I'd never get to see you again. I was so afraid I'd never get to tell you I love you."

Simolif smiled. The gesture showed two rows of needle-sharp teeth, but the sight of them didn't faze her. "Don't worry. You just did."

Carefully he drew his body over hers, and at the same time he sunk his thick erection deep inside her. Sarah gasped, arching her back as her body swallowed him one slow, penetrating inch at a time.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, her irritating little voice kept trying to remind her that this man wasn't a man, but an alien from another world. A fearsome creature with incredible strength and the ability to tear a person apart with a simple swipe of his hands.

Simon withdrew and pressed into her again, this time with a little more force and intensity. The little voice was quieted.

Forever. And Sarah sighed with happiness.

Lifting her arms, she wrapped them around his neck, leading his face down to where she could cradle it next to hers. One winged ear batted her temple, tickling. Smiling, Sarah brushed a kiss across it.

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His hips were moving faster now, rocking into hers, pressing her harder into the mattress with every thrust. She was being impaled, and she wanted more. Needed more.

Deeper. Harder. The unspoken wish was granted. Simon planted his hands on either side of her body and adjusted himself. Before she could grasp the change, she felt his member thicken even further, stretching her to her limits.

And then he claimed her as his blood mate.

Sarah cried out. The sensation tossed her head-first into space where her body was being scorched from the inside out. Raw nerve endings screamed, yet Simon continued to pump her, fill her, and drive her totally insane with the power of his lust.

Here and now no longer existed. Sarah went blind and deaf under her lover's assault. Every molecule in her body was attuned to him—to the sound of their bodies blending, to the sound of his ragged breath in her ear, to the low growl in his chest that ignited more heat and more flames inside her.

His scent was everywhere, both covering her and pouring into her blood at the same time. There was no longer any ability to think. Her entire soul was reaching for his and finding him ready to take her. His body demanded her absolute subservience; she was more than willing to give it to him.

Scenes—places and people, pictures and faces she didn't know, yet knew intimately and lovingly—swirled inside her mind. Words she couldn't comprehend but understood filtered into her brain. And phrases of passion and promise in his alien language were there on her tongue, ready to be spoken.

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Ready to be heard by this unique being taking total possession of her.

Her body was lifting higher and higher with every breath-robbing lunge he made into her. Deep within herself, Sarah could feel that bright spark of orgasm ignite. It wove tightly through her abdomen and into her womb, sending more heat to her very heart, where she and Simon were made one. She could feel how the first waves of her peak began to tighten her muscles, literally grabbing him and entrapping him within her shrinking channel, squeezing until she heard him groan with the first throbbing rush of release.

Her body sizzled for a fraction of a second before it exploded skyward. Every cell froze against the onrush of her orgasm. The world splintered.

Simon jerked, no longer in control of himself. Sarah knew nothing but the heavy lap, lap, lapping of sensations roaring through her blood. There was no longer any need to think or feel as his body filled hers.

Gradually, instinctively, their rhythms slowed. Completely lost within him, Sarah curled herself around Simon.

They were both asleep before the sweat on their skin had a chance to cool.

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