Sentinel - Cyndi Friberg Page 0,43

each one. His world gave her a sense of purpose that had been missing her entire life. The hopes of her adolescence had no meaning here. This place and this male were already so much more than anything she’d ever pictured on Earth.

Physical need gradually eclipsed detailed thoughts. She arched beneath him, raising her arms overhead. She abandoned herself completely to the moment and her escalating feelings for her potential mate. His hips sped and his emotions surged. She tightened her inner muscles, increasing the friction. Sensing her need, he slipped his hand between their bodies and covered her clit with his fingertip. The light pressure combined with the rhythmic motion of his cock and her control shattered.

Hot bursts of pleasure coursed through her abdomen. Her toes curled and she crumpled the bedding as he thrust fast and hard inside her. A staggering rush of emotions was quickly echoed by the hot jets of his seed. They clung to each other, shuddering together as wave after sensory wave washed over them.

Long moments later, he rocked back onto his knees. The position took most of his weight off her, but he seemed reluctant to separate their bodies. She wasn’t in a hurry to be without him again, so she caressed his back and savored the closeness, the ultimate intimacy. She could still feel him in her mind as well as her body, though the connection seemed muted now.

“I can dissolve it if you’d rather,” he whispered without raising his head.

Okay, maybe the link was only muted on her end. “Why can’t I hear your thoughts? You can obviously hear mine.”

He slipped his arm under her neck and pushed up so he could look into her eyes. “This link is a simple conduit. The access it provides is limited. Emotions flow freely, but specific thoughts take practice. I will teach you how to use the link and how to shield your mind if you need to be alone.”

She nodded wanting to learn more about the link, but their unfinished conversation suddenly resurfaced. “Will you explain what upset you right before we made love? It was obvious you don’t want to talk about it, which means it’s probably important. The things we dread most usually are.”

“I was hoping you’d decided to let it drop,” he muttered with a heavy sigh and rolled to her side. “I’ve tried very hard to overcome it, but my self-image is somewhat warped.”

She sat up and pivoted to face him, ignoring the fact that they were both naked. “You’re a sentinel, respected and well-liked. Your family adores you, and I hope you realize how much I care for you. Why the doubt?”

Without a word he crawled off the bed and pulled on his pants.

Frustrated by his emotional withdrawal, she folded her legs beneath her and called his name, “Salvo, please. If you don’t want to talk about it we can—”

“I’m not angry,” he assured her without turning around. “And you’re right. This is important, but you need to see something to understand.” He crossed the room and pulled open the top drawer on the tall dresser. He took something out of the drawer then returned to the bed. Still without speaking, he handed the object to her.

It was an old-fashioned photograph, the only one she’d seen since leaving Earth. Both the Outcasts and Sarronti used holographic imaging. Printed media of any kind was rare. Though the female in the picture was younger, it was obviously Arpovae. She looked regal and serene as always sitting in a simple chair. On her lap perched an urbanite boy. He couldn’t be more than four or five. The boy’s features were even more exaggerated than Caster’s, yet his hesitant smile was oddly familiar. The child had silver-streaked purple hair, and ice-blue eyes.

She gasped and looked at Salvo. “This is you?”

He nodded, his jaw clenched tightly.

“But you’re gorgeous now.” She spoke without thinking and he quickly turned away. Damn it. Her outburst implied that the child was grotesque. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I just don’t understand how the change took place.”

His shoulders rose and fell several times before he faced her again. “My mother is one of the most powerful healers the Sarronti have ever known. She...fixed me.”

She just stared at him for a moment, then she glanced at the photo and shook her head. “A mutation like this would have been on a cellular level.”

He took the picture from her hand and returned it to the drawer. “She