Storm Raging (City of Hope Book 4) Read online

  Without waiting for a response, he grabbed Jaiyu’s wrist, dragging her behind him as he exited the director’s office on Level 5. He was irritable after spending another restless night on the sofa, and he didn’t have the patience to listen to any more of their bullshit.

  Oh, he could have slept in his own bed with Jaiyu wrapped in his arms. She’d have let him. Hell, she’d have let him do a lot more than that, but he knew that if he succumbed to temptation, there was no way he wouldn’t claim her. While he wanted that more than anything, he’d made a promise to keep her safe, and he until he could guarantee Jason would never bother her again, he had no right to make her his.

  “Draken,” Jaiyu panted as she jogged along beside him. “Draken, slow down!”

  Mentally cursing himself, he jerked to a stop in the middle of the corridor and swung around to face her. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay.” She laughed a little. “My legs just aren’t as long as yours.” Those tawny eyes were soft and knowing as she gazed up at him. “You okay?”

  “No,” he answered honestly. “No, I’m really not.”

  “Just breathe.” She spoke quietly, calmly, as she moved closer to encircle his waist with her arms. “He won’t hurt me,” she mumbled against his chest. “You won’t let him.”

  “He won’t come near you again, isha. I swear it.”

  “I know.” Pausing, she tilted her head back so she could look into his eyes again. “Then, why are you so angry?”

  “Because you’re mine.”

  Her expression didn’t clear, but she bobbed her head a couple of times. “Yes.”

  She still didn’t get it. How could she not know that he’d destroy whole worlds for her? Thinking back to his time on Earth, to everything he knew about humans and their complicated relationships, he finally landed on the one thing that might finally make her understand.

  “I love you.” He growled the words, hating how inadequate they sounded, but the blinding smile on her face made it worth it. “That’s why I’m angry. I love you, and there isn’t a damn thing I wouldn’t do for you.”

  “Oh.”

  Oh? That was all she could say? Fucking oh.

  “Draken, I—”

  “Fuck it.” He grabbed her arm again, pulling her toward the lifts.

  “Where are we going?”

  Logically, he knew he needed to get his shit together, but he really didn’t care if he was making an ass out of himself. “To dinner.”

  “Can I ask where, or are you going to bite my head off?”

  Slowing his pace, Draken took a deep breath and forced himself to calm the fuck down. “Eclipse.”

  Jaiyu’s eyes lit up like the first rays of morning sun, and her smile was so big, he could have counted every one of her blindingly white teeth. “On Level 4?”

  In addition to the many human eateries, there were also three restaurants on the upper, restricted levels that served a wide array of Aleucian delicacies. “That’s the one.”

  A heartbeat passed, one perfect moment, then she ducked her head, her expression crestfallen. “Thank you, but I don’t have the clearance for Level 4.”

  Sliding a knuckle under her chin, he urged her head up, then bent to kiss the frown off her lips. “Jaiyu, you’re living with me on Level 4.”

  “Yeah,” she answered, “but that’s different. I mean, I can’t even reach Level 4 from the lifts without you.”

  Draken sighed and shook his head. She brought up a good point. While he still didn’t like the idea of her wandering the city on her own, he did want her to have access to his—their—quarters whenever she wanted.

  “I’ll get you a security clearance pass tomorrow.”

  “Thank you, but that’s not what I meant. Eclipse is an Aleucian restaurant. I really don’t think they’ll want me there.”

  Draken couldn’t give a fuck less what anyone else thought. “I want you there.”

  ~

  Jaiyu didn’t know what she had expected to find on the upper levels, but the same stark, white hallways as every other level in the city wasn’t it. They passed fewer people, and there weren’t as many doorways lining the walls, but otherwise, it was just as barren and uninteresting as anywhere else.

  “They really should think about adding some artwork or something to the walls.”

  “Who?”

  “I don’t know.” She waved her hand around dismissively. “Whoever’s in charge of that kind of thing, I guess.”

  The vibrant new clothes were lovely, and the Garden was a paradise, but the rest of Hope still felt so sterile. Before arriving in the city, she never would have guessed the color white could be so depressing. On the other hand, if everything was as colorful and beautiful as the Garden, her favorite place might not seem as special.

  “You mean, something like this?” Pulling her through an archway to their left, Draken stopped just on the other side and smirked. “Welcome to Eclipse.”

  Walls of beautiful, rich burgundy were adorned with magnificent paintings framed in glittering gold. Beautiful ivory statues sat atop intricately carved pillars. Circular tables in different sizes were covered in pale silver cloth and topped with napkins the same color as the walls. The silverware shined in the lamps that hung over the center of the tables, and flowers in every color filled sparkling crystal vases.

  The place would have been considered elegant back on Earth, but in Hope, it was practically palatial.

  A female Aleucian with platinum blonde hair cut into a severe bob that ended at her jaw approached with her hands folded together in front of her. She cast a fleeting look at Jaiyu before turning her full attention—and blinding smile—on Draken. Communication passed between them, evident by subtle changes in expression, and the way their eyes met every few seconds.

  Whatever she was saying didn’t seem to be going over well with the director. Eyes narrowed, shoulders tense, he glared at her with open anger. While they hadn’t spoken a word out loud, and the female was still smiling, it was easy to see that the conversation had turned considerably hostile. It wasn’t hard to guess the reason, either.

  “Draken.” Touching his elbow to get his attention, Jaiyu took a deep breath and pasted on her best smile. “It’s okay. Really. I should go.”

  He turned his stormy gaze on her, his brow furrowed and his jaw tight. “What?”

  “I shouldn’t be here,” she clarified. “I’ll just go.”

  Slowly, the hard lines of his face softened, and he covered her hand where she had it curled around his elbow. “You worry too much, isha.” Yet, his expression hardened once again when he turned back to the Aleucian female. “Jaiyu Zhao, meet Tetra Marcor.”

  Jaiyu didn’t pull away, but she stiffened as she turned to meet the female’s gaze. “Marcor?”

  “Yes,” he growled. “My sister.”

  Tetra arched both golden eyebrows. “I’m glad to finally meet you.”

  Jaiyu smiled and nodded, but before she could return the sentiment, Draken growled.

  Holding tighter to Draken’s arm, Jaiyu resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Ignore him. Really, the telepathy thing doesn’t bother me.” She extended her right hand, clasping it briefly with Tetra’s. “What did you mean you’re glad to finally meet me?”

  “Nothing,” Draken said with a huff. “My dear sister talks too much.”

  Tetra waved him off with a flick of her wrist, not even glancing in his direction. “Draken talks about you all the time. He’s always going on about how smart you are, and how great you are with the children.”

  “Oh.” Not knowing what to say, Jaiyu simply nodded.

  Folding her hands together over her heart, Tetra tilted her head back and swayed from side to side. “‘Jaiyu said the funniest thing today. Jaiyu is so pretty when she smiles. Do you think Jaiyu likes me? I might just die if she doesn’t like me.’”

  Jaiyu bit the inside of her cheek and tried not to laugh, but Draken didn’t seem to find it quite so amusing. Making a nois
e in his throat somewhere between a grunt and a growl, he palmed his sister’s face and pushed her head back, forcing her to take several steps away from them.

  In response, Tetra scrunched up her face and stuck her tongue out at him. “You’re so rude.”

  “Just get us a table before we starve.”

  Jaiyu found the entire exchange fascinating. As the only child of only children, she had no experience with the type of bond they shared. Despite the bickering, it was apparent how much the siblings cared about each other, and she couldn’t help but envy them.

  “Your sister seems nice,” she commented when Tetra flounced away, leaving them to follow after her.

  Draken just grunted.

  “How old is she?”

  “She just turned twenty-two.” His eyebrows drew together, and he shook his head. “She was accepted to the ULS program, but she turned it down to come serve food to strangers here.” Disapproval dripped from every word, and his expression puckered as if he’d tasted something sour whenever he looked in his sister’s direction. “Our parents baby her.”

  The Universal Language Studies program offered one of the most renowned curriculums in the known universe, and entrance to the prestigious school was ridiculously competitive. In fact, from the thousands of applicants, only twenty were chosen each year. In the nearly two decades since ULS had opened their doors to Earthlings, only one human had ever been accepted.

  “I guess I don’t understand.”

  Draken sighed. “That makes two of us.”

  No, Jaiyu didn’t understand why the young Aleucian female would rather wait tables in the underground city, but that hadn’t been what she’d meant. Everyone knew Aleucians had the unique ability to recognize, understand, and speak any language after hearing it only once. It was a gift many envied, but it made attending ULS kind of redundant.

  As for the people of Hope, biotech communication implants had been standard for years—long before humans had first encountered other races. Commonly referred to as bi-comms, the devices were implanted through the ear canal and translated a total of four thousand and seventy-two languages for the recipient in real time.

  Some of the languages, seemed a little useless considering how few people spoke them. On the other hand, it was good to know that if she ever encountered someone who spoke Hanti, she’d be able to understand them.

  While fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, Jaiyu was most comfortable speaking in her native tongue of Mandarin. The bi-comm, however, made it possible for her to communicate with everyone in Hope, including her students. The bi-comms had also been programmed—and frequently updated—with languages from other races across the known universe. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much use for those translations any longer.

  “What are you thinking, isha?”

  “What?” Coming out of her reverie, Jaiyu blinked several times before focusing on Draken. “Oh, sorry.” Tetra was nowhere in sight, but a champagne glass filled with a sparkling pink liquid sat in front of her on the table. “What’s this?”

  “Chaimae. The closest thing I can think to compare it to would be something similar to strawberry champagne.” His mouth crooked up on one side as he nodded at her glass. “Try it. I think you’ll like it.”

  “Does it have alcohol in it?”

  Unlike humans, alcohol didn’t do more than give the Aleucian’s a light headache. Carbon dioxide, however, like in flavored sodas—and champagne—was a whole different story.

  “Just try it.”

  Jeez, he was so bossy. It had been a while since she’d seen that side of him, and honestly, she had kind of missed it. So, she didn’t argue, but did as he ordered, picking her glass up by the stem and tipping it to her lips. He wasn’t wrong. It tasted very much like a fruity, strawberry champagne, and it was the most delicious thing she had ever tried.

  “Wow. I love it.”

  Draken grunted down at the tablecloth.

  It wasn’t hard to guess the reason for his frustration. When he’d told her he loved her, she’d been so shocked, she hadn’t been able to make her brain work to respond. It wasn’t something she’d ever thought she’d hear from him. Not because she doubted how he felt about her, but because he wasn’t the type of male to conform to human ideals, no matter how much her race intrigued him.

  By the time she’d wrapped her mind around what he had said, it was too late. Impatient fool. If he had just given her an extra couple of seconds, he’d have realized there was no need for his outburst. Still, she hated that her initial hesitation had hurt him.

  Now felt like the perfect time to make things right.

  Rising from her seat, she rounded the table, took a deep breath, and crawled right into his lap. The look on his face was worth any embarrassment she felt about having an audience, and when his arms came around her, she no longer cared who saw them or what they might think.

  “Now,” she said, reaching up to stroke her fingertips along his jaw, “I think we need to clear up a few things. So, let’s try our earlier conversation one more time.”

  Draken turned his head, nuzzling into her palm before placing a sweet kiss to her fingers. “Which one would that be, isha?”

  Gods, he was so sweet when he wanted to be. “Just breathe,” she whispered, watching him for his reaction. “He won’t hurt me.” Draken didn’t disappoint, and she saw the exact moment he caught on to what she was doing. “You won’t let him.”

  “He won’t come near you again, isha,” Draken recited obediently, his gaze filling with heat. “I swear it.”

  “I know.” And she did. Even if she hadn’t been able to express it well earlier, she wasn’t afraid when she was with him. “Then, why are you so angry?”

  “Because you’re mine.”

  The gravel in his voice made her shiver, and the way his fingers dug into her hips set her pulse racing. “Yes.”

  “I love you. That’s why—”

  She silenced him with a long, languid kiss that did nothing to ease the throb between her legs. “I love you, too, Draken. That’s not something you ever have to wonder or worry about.” He was just too tempting, so she kissed him again, her own lips curving against his mouth. “Now, let me tell you what I want to happen.”

  His erection pressed against her backside, a hard ridge that excited and enticed. “Tell me.”

  “First, we’re going to enjoy a nice dinner.” She had to laugh at the petulant look he gave her. “When we’re finished…” She leaned closer, whispering into his ear, describing every dirty thing she wanted him to do to her. Her face flamed from the admission, but she kept going, loving how his breath hitched and the way he grabbed her even tighter. “What do you think about that?”

  “I think you’re fucking trouble.” His eyes raked over her, searching her face for…something. He must have found what he was looking for, because he jerked to his feet, holding her cradled possessively against his chest. “Tetra!”

  “Yes, brother?” the female answered, appearing from seemingly nowhere.

  “Have our meal delivered to my quarters.” He looked down, pinning Jaiyu with a scorching gaze. “Later.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Draken had meant to wait. He really had. The moment Jaiyu had started whispering deliciously sinful things in his ear, however, all those noble, honorable intentions had flown right out the proverbial airlock. Besides, if he claimed her, marked her as his, it would add another layer of protection.

  Or so he told himself.

  Technically, it was true. If she bore his mark and his scent, if everyone knew she belonged to him, no one would even look at her in a way he found offensive. They definitely wouldn’t put their hands on her, because Draken would kill anyone who tried, and once she was officially his, there wasn’t a damn thing anyone could do to stop him.

  Thank the bleeding stars it was a short trek back to his quarters. Even then, it took three tries for him to scan them into the room. Once the door slid closed behind him, all pretense of
politeness vanished.

  “Off. Now,” he ordered, grabbing the collar of his own shirt and jerking it over his head.

  Jaiyu flushed a pretty crimson, but she didn’t hesitate, and within seconds, they were both fully nude and panting with pent-up desire. Gods, she was just as beautiful as he knew she would be. Her petite body was all soft lines and gentle curves encased in flawless skin. Though small, her breasts were round and full, and they swayed gently when he lifted her from the floor.

  “Perfect,” he breathed, catching one of her tight, dark nipples between his lips and sucks hard. The moan that followed nearly had him skating the edge before they’d even gotten started.

  He kissed and nibbled his way up her neck until he reached her lips. Sealing their mouths together, he swallowed down her next moan as he carried her over to the plush, blue sofa in the middle of the room. Her legs locked around his hips, and her hands plunged into his hair, making his heart pound and his cock throb. Fuck, he’d barely touched her, and he was already addicted.

  Lowering himself onto the sofa, he sat upright as he maneuvered Jaiyu to stand over him. Her feet sank into the cushions on either side of his hips, and he reached out to steady her when she began to sway.

  “Draken, what are—”

  Her question died in a strangled cry when he jerked her forward and plunged his tongue between her slick folds. Her taste spilled over his tongue like honeyed wine, and his eyes rolled in his head as a deep groan vibrated her chest. It was ecstasy, nirvana, and he lapped greedily, drinking her in, drowning in her.

  If he worried he was moving too fast or being too rough with her, those thoughts were easily silenced. This was what she’d wanted, what she had practically demanded of him. She’d spoken hesitantly, and she’d blushed a lot, but when she had outlined her fantasy for him, it had taken every ounce of self-control he had not to flip her around and bend her over the table, right there in the restaurant.

  She hadn’t spoken the words outright, but he’d heard the implication loud and clear. Gentle and considerate had a time and place, but that wasn’t what she wanted from him tonight. She wanted the male who took what he wanted, who challenged her and pushed her to the edge.