Stolen and Seduced - Christine Pope Page 0,164

her side, and he saw instantly what had happened. He grabbed the tablet off the floor, and with a wave of his hand the monster vanished. She just stared at the spot where it had been not comprehending that it had only been an illusion.

He snatched her into his arms and held her tight, but it took him time to calm her down. “Rachael! Rachael, listen to me. You’re safe,” he said.

“No—no! He’s here! All those teeth, all those claws! Please don’t let him take me!” The words were choked with sobs and mostly muffled against his chest.

“It’s not real, Rachael. It’s just an image. I promise, you’re safe,” he said, pitching his voice louder so she would hear him. “Look at me, Rassa.”

She couldn’t look up. She was too scared, so he placed his fingers under her chin and slowly raised it until she could see his face. She looked up at him through tear-filled eyes. “I remember all of it now. I fought him when he changed. I hit him in the face with my bag, and I think it hurt him because he broke my arm on purpose. And then there was a stabbing pain in my neck. I could see and hear, but I couldn’t move. It was like I was paralyzed.” The words were low and filled with raw emotion. He just listened, letting her talk as he held her.

“While I was frozen, he talked about what he was going to do to me. He talked about selling me to monsters who would hurt me every day and enjoy it. He—did he mean your people?” She bit her bottom lip and stared up at him full of conflicting emotions.

“Probably,” Kave admitted. “That’s how others see us, because we enjoy causing pain, but it’s not like that with our humans. We cherish them. We try to give them pleasure equal to the pain, and they enjoy it.”

She drew in a long shuddering breath and nodded like she understood, but she didn’t really. Not yet.

“You called me Rassa. What does that mean?”

He smiled down at her and one hand went up to stroke her hair. “It means ‘brave one’ in an older version of my language.”

She snorted and shook her head. “You can’t possibly think I’m brave after that hysterical fit,” she said dismissively.

He gave her hair a gentle tug in reproof. “But I do think you’re brave. Everyone needs to be reminded of their courage at times. I think I’ll call you Rassa when you need help remembering.”

She was oddly pleased by that, and she liked the name.

Later that night when she woke up from a screaming nightmare, he was there for her. He held her in his lap like she was a child until the tears stopped and the terror drifted away. As the fear left her something else rose inside. She turned until she was straddling him, and after a second to gather her courage she lunged forward and planted her lips on his, moving fast before she could change her mind.

He held still for a long moment. Maybe he was surprised by her action, but if so, he got over it quickly. With a groan, his arms wrapped around her tightly and his kiss turned aggressive, claiming her mouth as passion washed over them both. His tongue thrust into her mouth, and she whimpered, pressing against him as her panties soaked with desire. Eventually she had to come up for air but there was reluctance on both sides as she broke the kiss.

“Please—Kave, please I want you to do those things with me, please?” she asked breathlessly. Her body was on fire. Every nerve ending seemed alive and she moaned, wanting more of whatever this was.

He pushed her back, holding onto her upper arms as he examined her. The intensity of his eyes didn’t bother her at all anymore, and she let her expression show all the need and desire she was feeling. “I did say that you had to ask but—Rachael, you said you wanted to go home. If we do this—if you are one of those special few, I won’t be able to return you to Earth,” he said carefully. He’d stripped the emotion from the words, but she could feel how tense he was from the grip on her arms, and she knew what he wanted her to say.

She froze. It was such a huge decision to make when her mind was dazed with wanting him, but when she thought