The taste of hotness starts with Chapter 1 of the book:
Chapter One
Alkinai placed his hands on the sides of her face and moved forward. He kept moving until their bodies were flush together. She felt his chest against her own and reveled in the feeling of it. He lifted her face so his turquoise almost grey eyes could hold her hostage. There was no white in them, only the turquoise blue. It was a sign of his power and one that she would normally have feared. At least it would have been so, if she hadn’t known he was hers and she was his. His in every way but the one way she most desired. He wouldn’t share his mind with her and therefore his heart would always be off limits. Katana knew her place even though her sisters had previously warned her this, being with him, was not something she should do. They continued to warn her about not linking herself completely to an Y’Satnaf male.
Y’Satnaf people were the people of her lands. To the outside world, the humanoids, they would be called the “creatures” that go bump in the night. Some were even considered the characters of myths and fairytales. She was living proof that they were neither myths nor fairytales. The creatures she dealt with on a daily basis and called family would take offense to her calling the lot of them people. Although humanoid in many ways, the tails, wings, fangs, horns and other extras would set them worlds apart. They’ve lived amongst humans in the world for as long as the humans have come to be. Yet, the humans were safe from harm and her people were hunted. Many said that they were hunted by one of their own. Her hope was that it was not true at all. It would take a fairly sick individual to hunt one of his or her own kind.
The creature that stood before her now and held her heart captive was one Alkinai Carthage. He stood before her with long, wavy, dark brown hair pulled back into a neat leather cuff at the nape of his neck. His long sleeved sweater was long forgotten as he’d stalked to her with only one purpose in mind. He always wore fitted sweaters or sweater vests with button down stripe shirts and loose fitted jeans or dark tailored slacks. He wore black or brown shoes or boots. The only time he wore any form of athletic shoe was when he was playing one of his Lieutenants on the basketball court. (Yes, these creatures do play ball and quite well. No human would be able to handle their games. Not even Jordan. That statement alone was telling.) He had a natural grace with enough swagger that said he was nothing but all man, especially when he sighted something he desired. His raw sexual magnetism was enough to make any girl drop to her knees and beg for a taste of any part of him.
Katana knew the treats that lay beneath the clothing. His washboard abs made you want to run your tongue along every groove. His skin was so perfect and flawless, save one scar where, he’d told her, someone tried to carve out his heart while he was sleeping. It all happened when he was younger. A time that he never really spoke of.
During the daylight hours, the sun called for a moment of his time. It beckoned to be blessed to shine upon him and change the color of his skin from its natural creamy tone. He looked even sexier with the bronze pigments within his skin from head to toe. She knew that all he needed was a hint of the sun on his finger and his ability would move the golden glint to the rest of his skin. There were quite a few women and some men that would kill for that ability. Her own skin was just as coveted, but she ignored the admirations and admonishments that she overheard in others voicing their thoughts. Hers were always of him and him alone. That was the way of it. Once you found your “Intended” there was no other for you. On many occasions, it hurt her that her “Intended” chose to guard himself from her. Still, when he came to her in the current mood that he was in, she willingly gave herself to him.
Alkinai was born a Half-linea. Half-linea were those that were born with lineage from two different “Creatures” lines. Alkinai had been showing signs of abilities from the line of Shiftons and Foresayers. Shiftons were those who had control over their form and could change from the animal or Mammalii; their spirit has been touched by another. They usually shifted from that form to the Humanoid form. In rare cases, there had been Shifton that had the ability to shift between the two Mamalii of their lineage and the Humanoid form. Only one has been spoken of that could change their form to a Mamalii or humanoid of their choosing. She was the one that few know much about but all fear.
Foresayers were the most powerful “Mentalists,” for lack of a better word, to walk the earth. Their abilities would manifest with their minds being their most powerful weapons at a young age. They usually could see the future or manipulate elements of the present by controlling time. There were tales that state there were those that have the ability to control the minds of those surrounding them. They could communicate intention through touch as well. (Frightening, right?)
Katana had yet to meet one that had all of the abilities to manifest in one being, but she had a feeling that Alkinai might have the talent. She also feared there might be others like him with the same abilities. It had something to do with the dreams she was continuing to have. As a Nymphil, she was part of the “Mamalii” that controlled the life of the plants and earth. It was due to this gift that she would notice the shift in power that was permeating through the lands. The dreams brought her to distraction on many occasions and were the source of Alkinai’s frustration with her. He always felt when her mind shifted focus to the dreams that were becoming more like nightmares with every passing eve. It also worried her that she had this ability that felt like foresight of things to come. No one in her line had ever had that ability. Intuition? Yes. Foresight? A whopping, unwavering no.
“I will not allow you to be distracted by any other, whether person or thought, this night, Katana,” Alkinai stated as he brought his firm lips down over her own. She heard his growl as she fought his demand.
Katana never quickly gave herself over to him. She knew that he loved a challenge. It was one of the reasons that she and she alone remained in his bed. His strong, callused hands moved over the simple clothing that she wore. She’d come straight from a session with her sisters which included bathing in the pooling waters of Remaerd. There, they would bathe and purify the water that the plants and people of the lands would partake of. They would call the waters over the lands to be cleansed and make deliveries to the leaders of the different Mamalii of the area. It was a monthly thing that allowed them to replenish their powers as Nymphil, but it didn’t call for a great deal of clothing. She wore a simple golden backless sheath that matched her eyes and the hue of her skin. The cinnamon brown color of her skin, she was told, glistened in the sun and was a sight to behold. Her hair matched the darkest brown of a tree bark with grey threaded through the crown and base of her head. She’d always had the coloring for as long as she’d been alive. The fact that it had been centuries wasn’t lost on her or her siblings.
Katana was the only one that was so blessed. Each of her sisters had dark brown almost black hair and were only just about a century old. Her brother was only 2 years older than her. She was the oldest daughter but the last to find her Intended. Her sisters felt the need to tell her all the things that she was doing wrong. Despite their parents (well, her father and their mother) continually telling each of them that the meeting of one’s Intended didn’t happen to everyone the same way. Nor did it always happen when a person was in their first century. To which her beautiful sisters would always remind them that most Nymphil did, Katana just had to be the exception to the rule.
Alkinai’s hands began a trail up her back again pulling her from her inner musings. He pulled her closer. She didn’t think that they could be, but then she felt the sign of his attraction to her as he kissed her well beyond her mental distraction. It was a long forgotten thought after that. This always surprised, but delighted her. He was always excited to be near her. It was another indication that she was right. She was his Intended. She didn’t know how it found the space with them being so close in proximity, but his hand found its way to her breast. His hands were large enough to take the rather hefty weight of each of them and play as he saw fit. His mouth slid from her mouth to her ear, tongue playing with her lobe, then down the side to the base of her neck. There, he played for a while, making sure to mark her as he always did. Her skin was light enough that he could have his fun marking it with his initial. The letter “A” would mark her body in some peculiar place that she would find later. How he did it, she would never know because she was always too distracted to pay any attention. He lifted her other breast to his warm and waiting mouth. Sucking and nibbling to the point of almost pain. She heard the release of one then felt him descend to the other as his hand played with the one he’d just aided in being brought to a sure sign of arousal.
She heard the moans that always came as a result of this interaction but couldn’t focus. Katana could feel his hand as he began to slide down the front of her then in between her legs. She felt her impending release as she felt his hand glide over her butt. Some part of her brain realized that she felt his hand on her left breast, another lifting the right one to his mouth, another bringing her to the top of her pleasure cliff and a last gripping her backside and driving her into his extended, fully aroused appendage. She tried to open her eyes to see if what she thought was true was, in fact, the case. In that moment, her sheath was ripped from her body and his jeans were pulled from his. He lifted her and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist.
“K, my lady, Kat,” he practically growled as she felt her body slammed into the wall near the bed. “I need my name on your lips. Now!”
Katana felt as if she were splintering from within as she felt his powerful, repeated thrusts. They found their rhythm meeting somewhere in the middle. Her pleasure center had her screaming and panting then screaming again. The phantom hands or extra hands wouldn’t let her go. They were everywhere and he was relentless as she hit her peak for the third time. (Yes, she’d had three and not even realized it until she heard the whisper of his voice chuckling three times and yet I need her to have more in her mind.) His name, his full name was on her lips and took up every aspect of her mind.
“Alkinai Bartholomew Carthage, please…oh…please. PLEASE,” she bellowed. She knew her screams would be heard throughout the entire castle, but at that moment, she didn’t give a damn. “PLEASE…let me breathe…oh…I don’t…”
His answering chuckle was all the response that she received as he pushed her body even further. She knew he wasn’t anywhere near finished with her. His mood spoke to the need that he had for her. He was tense for some reason and he wouldn’t be able to talk about it until he released a portion of whatever was built up within him. This was the only way he knew to deal and she was more than happy to oblige. She could feel his power coursing over her body. The tingling caused a warmth that she’d never felt before with him. He was close to his release. She knew it. Every fiber of his being was strung tight. I need her more than she will ever know. I can’t see my life without her. She can’t lea…
Whatever the thought was it was cut off as he swiveled his hips and moved within her to touch a place that she didn’t even know was there until that moment. This time, they screamed together. Her body melted against him as he found the strength to move them from the wall and over to the bed. He allowed his mind to be open to her for just a while longer. She was able to hear his thoughts. She knew it. Now that she was able to regain a portion of her consciousness. There was no containing the joy that was coursing its way through her. Katana knew that this was something that she couldn’t even attempt to discuss with him. He gently placed her in the bed and made his way up her body. His kisses took in every portion of her legs, then torso and up along her neck. When his lips met hers, she realized that he was not completely sated. Those hands were there again and he was ready to torture her some more. As he seated himself within her again, she moaned his name. Alkinai was relentless in his torment. He had her body thrumming and filled with sensations that they’d never shared before. Hours later, he finally found the relief he needed and allowed her to drift off into a peaceful slumber.
Here are the purchase links:
CreateSpace Amazon Barnes & Noble Apple Store Kobo Smashwords
~E.
