SKYE

Entering the clearing in the woods, taking care to make sure that I’m not being followed, I stop every few feet listening. Continuing on hurriedly, the snap of a twig stops me in my tracks. My heartbeat racing, I step behind a tree as a figure emerges onto the path. Taking a deep breath, I pick up his scent.

Balen’s tall, dark-haired, has beautiful brown eyes and is handsome as hell. He’s making his way down the path, and a warm sensation slowly washes over me. The memory of our last meeting’s still fresh in my mind. The feel of his hands as they roamed my body. His lips, his tongue stripping me of every...

“Skye?” Interrupting my thoughts, Balen has stopped right beside my tree. He’s fast. His hand around my throat cuts off my airflow.

“I love it when you play rough,” I make out.

“I could have killed you.”

Ignoring his reprove, I sneak a quick kiss. I’m turned on by his scent, and my feral nature takes over.

“How’d you do that?”

I’m on my way to being stark raving mad with need when his hand making contact with my wrist forces me to yield to his will.

“I didn’t know that I was doing anything,” I snap, releasing myself from his grasp.

A mixed-breed part Centaurian and part human, we lack the qualities of our superiors, the blood survivors as we call them.

“You camouflaged. I couldn’t scent you or hear your heartbeat.”

“Yet you knew that I was here.”

“I could still feel your energy.”

His irritable tone does nothing to deter my need. It’s been a while since I’ve felt his touch, and I’m craving his bite.

“Playtime’s over.”

Stroking the back of his neck, involuntarily his eyes close, reveling in the pleasure. Leaning in, my lips gently touch his, and he responds frantically, pulling me even closer. Straddling his waist, my kisses become urgent and needy. It’s been weeks since I last was allowed to see him, and I want him badly.

My breathing becomes heavy as his lips move down to my neck. Aware that he can smell my arousal, his skin becomes noticeably hotter.

Pausing, fangs protracted, he hungrily bites into me. Clinging to him, my sharp intake of breath forces him to soften his bite. Drawing hungrily and too deeply, it doesn’t take long for my vision to start to blur.

“Balen...” I whisper, trying unsuccessfully to push him away. He’s taking too much, and my physical attack of pummeling him with my fists isn’t working. “Balen!” I manage, and with the last of my energy, I force him off of me. He’s lifted off the ground and knocked back into a tree with such force that it shakes.

On the ground, on my knees, I try to regain my senses, my eyes never straying from him. Unsuccessfully, I try to use my power to keep him pinned to the tree, but I’m too weak. A feeding frenzy usually only happens when they’ve been deprived of blood for a while.

“Is there something that you want to tell me?” he asks from beside me, his quick movement startling me.

Helping me to my feet, I’m beyond annoyed. Standing on slightly shaky legs, I somehow manage a weak grimace that I hope resembles a smile.

“You’re angry,” he says, placing his hands on my waist to steady me.

“I’m not angry, just a little... disappointed.” Trying to move from his embrace, he stops me. Removing his hands, I test my sea legs, walking a short distance. “You see, I’m fine.” He’s watching me intently, I can feel him probing my mind, and in my frustration, I block him.

“If there’s something that you need to tell me, I suggest that you do so now.”

“I have nothing to tell,” I retort.

“I’ve let you have your secrets, as is your human nature, but this I can’t ignore any longer. You’re to report to the genetics lab tomorrow; you’re long overdue.”

I was supposed to have my genetics tested and recorded as soon as Balen brought me here, but I managed to get Balen to postpone it. “Yeah, right. I am not going to the healer to be probed, prodded, and perused. Professor P doesn’t have a gently, empathic bone in his body.”

I think that he’s a racist, hates us humans.

“You will, or I’m taking you there now. You’re due a genetic exam,” he says with finality.

“I told you that I feel fine,” I state, upset that I used my powers of stealth for this shit. The quizzical look that I’m given lets me know that he’d picked up that last quip.

I’m a different breed of half-breed, per my mother—gifted with powers no other half-breed or pure-blooded Centaurian has, and because of this I am to keep these powers hidden, never to use them, but obedience was never my strongest trait. The ability to read minds, move things with my mind, and to not be detected by the senses are my gifts, endowed upon me by my father. To touch someone and to be able to see into their past and at times the future—this was passed down by my mother, as she had psychic abilities.

How a half-breed can do these things, my mother knew not as my father left us behind, and my mother had nothing more to tell me of him before she passed. “You’ll meet others like you, but one in particular you must not engage. You’ll know him when you see him. His scent will call to you, and from him you must run, fight him with everything within you, because he will bring sorrow and death to you. I’ve seen it, and so it will be.” These were her last words to me, she died in a nuthouse raving about her alien lover, my father.

Our supposed-to-be-romantic interlude is interrupted by a loud explosion, and Balen’s in front of me in a blink, shielding me. “What was that?” I ask, watching as fire consumes a building.

“Come on, we have to get you back,” he says, taking my hand.

I pull away from him. I’ve violated the order requiring all humans on base to be indoors between dusk till dawn to be with him. I can’t incriminate him. “I’ll be fine. If they notice you’re missing...”

Another loud explosion stops me from finishing my sentence. What in the holy hell!

An irritated huff from me, and he gets the message, giving me a quick kiss. A reminder of what I’ll probably have to wait another few weeks for, so I’m not letting him off that easy. Pulling him back to me, I stroke his neck again. I’m in love with this man, and my need for him has reached its limits. He’s brought me to sexual fulfillment many times over, but he has yet to give me what I desire.

“I want to stay, but I can’t,” he says.

My hand drifting lower, I make contact with his manhood. Stroking him through his trousers, my heart flutters as he lets loose a low growl, abruptly pulling away from me.

“I’ll come to you as soon as I can,” he states, trying to leave, but I refuse to let go of his hand.

 BALEN

I don’t want to let her go, but I have to. The explosions, the chaos of my people trying to put the fires out, and Skye clinging to me as if she wouldn’t see me again. It’s going to be another week or two, now that this has happened. I ache for her and long for the gratifying taste of her essence. With her, nothing and no one else matters. As she strokes the back of my neck in an attempt to make me stay, I almost give in but know that I can’t. With every ounce of will that I have and an agitated growl, I’m able to pull away from the hold that she has on me. Looking into her eyes as she holds onto my hand, I see what she does not say. She loves me, and I love her. This earth woman who without a doubt will lose her life if I give her my seed.

She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s courting death.

I make my way over to the warehouse, which is now smoldering. Upon entering the building, I’m greeted by an overwhelming smell of burned wood. Watching as inventory’s being taken by Akon, the leader of the colony, I use my telepathy to communicate with him. “How much did we lose?”

Continuing his work, his outward appearance never shows any acknowledgment. “The blood supply took a great loss,” he responds.

In a flash I’m in front of the blood supply building. It’s a burned hull of its former self.

“We managed to save most of it, and we’ll have to begin rebuilding,” Akon explains from beside me, still writing in his inventory book with speed.

“This is the third time in the last six months, and it has to be the dragons,” I accuse, with a note of anger in my voice. They’re the only ones capable of getting past our security—the only ones with the power of concealment, not able to be seen physically, mentally, or via their energy. There’s an age-old war between the lizards and my people. I fear we shall never have peace until the entire species has been eliminated. “The cowards!”

Akon stops my rant with a hand on my arm. “We’ll get to the bottom of this, but I must ask that you follow protocol, Prince Balen. You’re not excluded from the rules.”

I know that he can smell her on me. We’re an open book to each other. There are no secrets among us. My thoughts drift back to the few stolen moments with her, and then to the day that I met her in a taproom. On the hunt for a meal, her scent overpowered everyone’s upon my entrance. Her gaze locked with mine, and she dropped her drink and took flight. She’d locked herself in the ladies’ room and refused to come out. After much reassuring and a threat to tear the door down, she eventually came out brandishing a knife. I find humor in it every time that I think about it, as I did that day.

Flustered and full well knowing that the knife would do her no good if I wanted to drink from her, she still attempted to attack me. Instead, she ended up locked in my embrace for longer than I wanted her to be. As I endeavored to calm her, her blood begged me to take it all in, to not leave a drop. In trying to not succumb to the blood lust, I ended up holding her too tightly, and she lost consciousness. Upon taking her to my room for the night, she awoke a madwoman, throwing everything within her reach at me. It didn’t take much to subdue her, my body pinning her to the bed. She accused me of trying to take her life. She was unreadable. How was I to know that her struggles meant that she couldn’t breathe? I explained that I was captivated, as I was now, by her scent, her blood calling to me once again. Inhaling her scent deeply only served to feed the need to drain her dry.

It was abruptly put on hold when I felt her intrusion upon my thoughts. Leaning in close, I inhaled her scent again, to make sure that I had scented her correctly. Her blood smelled of Centaurian and human. She was a half breed. In an instant, the link was broken and the fire in her eyes dimmed. Touching my face, my curiosity peaked, I made another attempt at reaching into her thoughts and failed. Turning her face from mine, she granted me permission to drink. I accepted, taking her scent in again.

My thirst nearly consuming me, I drank my fill. The taste of her blood wasn’t like any I’d consumed before. Something in it was habit-forming and addictive. From that night she became my chosen mate, and since she can’t come to Centauria and I can’t stay here on Earth, I will divide my time between the two. The end of my term on Earth is drawing near, and so I will give her a child to occupy her time until my return.

“You should allow the men a reprieve,” I state, coming out of my reverie.

“In the time of war, there can be no distractions,” he counters.

Rylan’s claim that Skye’s his mate comes to mind. I’ve never doubted her fidelity, but she’s only my chosen mate. If he’s her true mate, then there’s nothing that I can do to keep them apart. The attraction will be too great, and eventually, he will claim her, but not before I do.

“Yes, but I must insist,” I say, matter-of-factly. He regards me with a neutral countenance, and in a blink, he’s gone. He may be the leader of the colony, but I am his prince, and he must do as I request.

Watching the women’s housing past the woods, Skye’s window is illuminated. Using my telepathy, I speak to her. “Come to the window.” She doesn’t respond, and after a minute or so I become agitated. I know that I’ve made contact with her. “Skye.”

Her silhouette can be seen behind the blinds. “What?” she demands back.

“I wanted to know that you’re safe.” She remains quiet, and I can’t help but smile. She’s angry with me, and that is an understatement. “Lift the blinds, please.”

There’s a long pause before she responds. “Goodnight, Balen.”

I can hear the pain in her voiceless words. This earth woman is going to be the death of me.

RYLAN

She enters the women’s housing unit in a huff, her scent assaulting my senses. It’s a struggle to keep my hands off her, but a few deep breaths and I’m in control. As one of the twelve guards on duty, I’m amazed that she’d gotten past me.

“Do you know what time it is?” I say. Coming from behind the desk, from my watch of the cameras, the sight of her gives me pause. Dark brown skin smelling of the earth, straight black shoulder-length hair, and brown almond-shaped eyes—a natural beauty.

“I was out picking flowers.”

“You didn’t see any worth actually picking?”

Shrugging as she walks past the desk, I take a deep breath of her scent, and have to resist the compulsion to drink from her. “I’ll escort you back,” I say, my tone deep and guttural. I can smell the wetness between her legs, the liquid awakening the predator in me.

“There’s no need,” she replies, pressing the elevator’s up arrow repeatedly. Her heartbeat’s accelerated; the blood’s pumping furiously.

“I’ll overlook this slight, but you must adhere to the regulations,” I state, stopping her attack on the arrow button with a hand on her wrist.

Reacting as if she’s been scalded, she removes her wrist from my grasp. Putting some distance between us, I move a few steps away from her. With her being a half-breed, I have to be careful, especially since she’s an earthbound half-breed. They’re more human than Centaurian and prone to human behavior and emotions. I don’t want to overwhelm her or scare her off.

“I hope that you sleep well.” I can’t help but to antagonize her. Her scent is even more alluring when she’s angry. She’s not had a good night’s sleep since our encounter, and she won’t have peace until I’ve fully made her mine. The dinging of the elevator does nothing to muffle the slew of foul words that I pick up from her mind as I resume my position behind the desk.

“I’m here if you need me. All you have to do is ask.” I get a visual of her on the camera, with her middle finger pointed upwards.

My admiration quickly turns to jealousy. I could smell Balen all over her as she swept past me. He’s chosen her as his mate and refuses to let her go. Even after my claim on her was made known, she’s still recognized as the mate of Prince Balen. No doubt King Zuran, his father, has been made aware of his transgression, and soon he’ll have to leave this world to return home. She can’t go with him. I’ve already decided that Earth will forever be my home, as I am not like the others—I will not leave my mate behind.

She does not know why he’s brought her here. None of the human females know that this is a breeding base. Genetic modifications on our people have made us sterile. We cannot reproduce with our pure-blooded females, so we must mate with the humans in order to avoid becoming extinct. We are to bring a child back with us upon the end of our military term on Earth.

A simple task if it weren’t for the Lizards, our one true enemy. Their attacks upon our base, although insignificant, have increased in number. I don’t know why the order hasn’t been given to annihilate them.

Thoughts of the Lizards reawaken the memory of when she first arrived. I picked up on her scent as she entered the lobby. Standing from my position of leaning on the desk, her scent sends my heartbeat into overdrive. She’s aware of me also, as her breathing becomes rapid, and she stops dead in her tracks.

Seconds tick by as we watch each other, and then she finally speaks. “What is…”

Confusion etched on her face, her voice imprinting onto me has me frozen in place. Once the sensation has subsided, I regard her with a predatory gaze. Fidgeting under my scrutiny, I make my way slowly over to her. Reaching out to touch her, I think better of it. She’s already experiencing an overload of sensations and feelings. I don’t want to frighten her.

Leaning towards her, I inhale her fragrance, savoring the sensation of it imprinting on my senses. Taking in my scent, she latches onto me, arms around my neck. I pull her to me as my scent imprints onto her. Burying her face in my neck, the aroma of her excitement has my temperature rising.

“What was that?”

The feel of her body pressed against mine, mixed with the scent of her arousal—I can’t resist. Trailing kisses down her neck, she draws me closer, clinging to me. Pressing her neck into my lips, begging me to do it, but it’s too soon. It takes a couple of bites for humans to become addicted to our venom, but sometimes a single bite can drive them mad.

“Imprinting,” I say. It takes everything within me to not sink my teeth into her.

“Why is this happening to me?” she whispers, her breathing returning to normal.

“It happens to our kind when we first meet our mates,” I respond, stroking her cheek. My finger grazes her lips, so soft and supple I can no longer contain myself. I have to taste them. Leaning in, she raises her chin to meet me. And then the unthinkable happens. Balen enters with a guard, interrupting us.

Removing herself from our embrace, she doesn’t go to him. The sound of her bag dropping to the floor is ominous, and Balen looks ready to battle. The guard takes that as his cue and leaves.

“What’s this?” he asks, with barely concealed anger.

“Imprinting,” I answer, challenging his claim on her. Trying to keep his composure, I glean from him outrage and disbelief.

With an outstretched hand, he beckons to her. Unsure, she hesitates before finally going to him. Pulling her close, to my vexation, he kisses her on the forehead and secures her bag around her. Confusion and unease are apparent.

“Your rooms are on the third floor. I’ll be up in a minute.” He kisses her again, this time on the lips to reassure her. She leaves, only looking back at us before getting on the elevator.

“Imprinting...”

“She’s my mate,” I say.

“You waited how long, before claiming her?”

“I’ve been busy, but she’s worth the wait,” I say thoughtfully, reflecting on her scent, voice, and the feel of her body.

His anger gets the best of him, and a low growl escapes him.

“She’s rightfully mine,” I reassert.

SKYE

Livid, I pace the floor of the apartment. How dare he take, and not give! If he only knew the daily struggle that I have to endure. Rylan’s smug ass, he knows. It’s a constant battle to keep my wits about me whenever I’m in his company. The Centaurians come in many different hues, but this man is carved from onyx. His skin is the darkest that I’ve ever seen. I swear...his scent...his voice... My hand involuntarily strays to the junction between my thighs. Surprised, I pull my hand back in frustration. Something’s not right. My body recognizes my mate? My mother never mentioned this, and Balen isn’t telling.

I don’t trust myself around Rylan to address the issue with him. Instead, I choose to flee, as fast as I can when he’s in sight, using aggression to keep him at bay, which isn’t working. He’s always at the front desk when I come down for my daily dose of required vitamins and fresh air. To my utter dismay and delight, he always asks if he can join me. Quite frankly, I’m running out of nasty retorts and patience.

“Come to the window.” Balen’s voice interrupts my thoughts.

Still upset, I wait, hoping he’ll think that I’m too far to pick up on his telepathy.

“Skye,” he demands, annoyed.

Rolling my eyes, I move to the window. “What?” I state, just as agitated.

After the exchange of a few words, I’m showered, in bed, and staring up at the ceiling. Trying to keep my mind from straying to Rylan, I concentrate on trying to fall asleep. A few minutes pass, and I flop over onto my stomach. Screaming into the pillows, I punch them repeatedly, yelling, “Balen...Balen...Balen..! Ah...!” I cry out hysterically.

Two loud knocks on my door startle me. Oh, shit! Clamoring out of bed and turning on the bedside lamp, I pause, hoping that I just imagined the knocks. The sound of the front door opening has me pulling on my robe. Rylan. My heart skips a beat, and I can’t move. I’d know his scent in a crowd of fifty men. Stopping in the doorway, we eye each other.

Tall, dark-skinned, and gorgeous—just the sight of him sends a wave of heat through my core. His nostrils flaring as he inhales my fragrance, I place a hand in front of my groin to try to subdue the aroma.

“I heard you...”

The intensity of his gaze has me squeezing my thighs together. His voice has a huskier tone than normal. I close my eyes as I’m on the verge of cumming, from his scent and his voice. The moisture pools in between my thighs, and his thoughts send quivers through my body. They promise of oral pleasure, his need to be on his knees before me, licking all of the dew that my honeypot can offer.

After a few moments and deep, controlled breaths, I’m able to meet his gaze again. His intense appraisal makes me uncomfortable. I want this man badly, but I love Balen. I can’t. Regaining my composure, I tie my loose robe tightly. “From three stories down?” I say, my mood rankled.

He’s not in the mood to verbally spar with me. “Do try to keep it down,” he says tightly, clearing his throat.

I’m angry with him for not forcing himself upon my person, and just like that, we’re back to pretending that we don’t desire each other. A ruse that we’ve both kept going since our first meeting. “Wait,” I say, stopping him from leaving.

“Yes,” he says firmly, his back to me. Pausing, unsure on how to proceed, he turns to me expectantly.

I can’t punk out now. Deep breath. Damn, I shouldn’t have done that. I love Balen.

“I can’t stop thinking about you, and my body involuntarily reacts when I’m near you. I know that we imprint on our mates, but I’m with Balen. How do I undo the imprint?”

A raised eyebrow is his only reaction. “You refuse me?”

His mannerisms lack emotion, but I can read him, and he’s hurt. Instinctively I go to him but stop short. I want to touch him, to comfort him, but I can’t even look at him. “I don’t refuse you; I feel that I’m being disloyal.”

Cupping my chin in his hand, he forces me to look at him. “You can’t undo an imprint. We mate for the life of our mate. If one of us were to perish, only then would the bond be broken.”

I’m reveling in his touch as he gently strokes my face, his hands hot to the touch.

“Deny me if you want, but you can’t deny what you feel for me. The pull, the attraction... You want me, as much as I want you.”

Leaning down, he raises my chin so that our lips gently touch. I didn’t think that I could get any wetter. A flow of juices gush down my thighs, and he deepens the kiss. Responding to him, I try to take control, going for his shirt, attempting to remove it. He withdraws from me. I don’t understand—I want him, he wants me, and we’re both here.

“What’s wrong?”

“Are you prepared to leave Balen?”

What kind of question is that? I love Balen. Shit, then what am I doing with this man? “Apparently your imprinting has a defect if you can’t let him go.”

Oh, so now I’m defective.

“When we imprint, there can be no other but our mates. I desire no one else but you. Can

you say the same?”

“So there is something wrong with me. Is that why my father left me, because I’m defective?”

“You’re perfect to me.”

“Aside from the obvious defect.”

Kissing me again, I can’t help kissing him back. His tongue seeks entrance, and I allow him. A satisfied murmur of approval induces a tremble through my center, and a small gasp escapes my lips. Quickly ending the kiss, I’m left in a worse predicament than what he found me in. I’m about to lose my shit. Wait...is he smirking at me?

“Sleep well,” he says, making a quick exit.

Following him, I get a glimpse of the door slamming shut behind him. “The bastard...!”

Sleep well. Those words continue to haunt me, as I sit by myself in the park. Watching a group of pregnant women attending an exercise class, I can’t help noticing that I’ve yet to meet anyone that isn’t expecting.

“I swear, everyone here has the same malady.” The pretty redhead with green eyes towers above me, so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t hear her approach. “Hi, I’m Gema.”

I accept her offered hand, accessing her thoughts. Rylan, he’s been intimate with her.

“Do you mind if I join you?” she asks.

I take in her scent, and it’s faint, but it’s there. The overwhelming urge to strangle her has me reaching for her. Shocked at my reaction, I stand abruptly and back a few steps away. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to hurt you.”

Realization dawns on her, and she smiles.

“Rylan’s scent; he hasn’t touched me in weeks.”

Reminiscing about their multiple sexual encounters, I manage to stamp down another compulsion to smack that smile right off her face. Watching me struggle with my emotions, she stands, hands raised in surrender.

“It’s not what you think.”

“I don’t care.”

“Yeah, well, you’ve got to get a grip on those emotions, they betray your words.” Sitting down, she pats the seat next to her. “Come on. I don’t bite.”

Trying not to give in to my violent thoughts, I move a few more steps away from her. “I think I’d better stand.” Trying to control my raging anger, I take measured breaths.

“Oh, you’ve got it bad,” she states with a chuckle.

“What do you want, Gema?”

“Why don’t you read me and find out?”

“Fine, don’t mind if I do.” I attack her mind indiscriminately, probing, and pulling random thoughts quickly. How does she know about me?

“Stop it.”

Her stern rebuke falls on deaf ears as I continue my reckless search. Pausing, I’m amazed at her gall. Her attempts to block me are quickly overridden.

“You bitch,” she says with a grimace. My thoughtless probing made her uncomfortable, but if I’m not careful, I could hurt her.

“Your mate was Akon’s lieutenant, that’s how you know about me.”

“I need your help.”

“Help with what?” I inquire.

“To escape this place.”

“You’re being held hostage?”

“In a way, yes. I’m not allowed to leave the grounds.”

I can’t help but laugh. “Is this some type of joke?”

Her lack of humor quickly sobers me, and now it’s my turn to feel uncomfortable.

She becomes solemn, and her thoughts are of her child. “Being used to breed for them and then having your child taken at birth, isn’t a joke.”

I gather that she’s telling the truth, or that she thinks she’s telling the truth.

“I have Rylan’s scent on me because I chose to be weaned off my mate’s bite.”

Her back to me as she watches the women exercise, I tune in to her emotions, and my heart becomes grievous.

“It was either that or go bat shit crazy. That’s what happens when we don’t get our mates venom, or whatever they secrete when they bite us.” Sadness and regret are what I glean from her.

“To them, I’d served my purpose.”

Her words hit me like a ton of bricks to the stomach, remembering back a few days ago, when I’d witnessed a distraught woman being escorted off of the grounds. Her mind was a scattered mess, sobbing uncontrollably as she was taken away. Putting everything that I had into trying to get something coherent from her, I didn’t notice Rylan beside me.

“She can’t be helped.”

A range of emotions from surprise, excitement, and lust overwhelm me. His hands on my waist to steady me sends an electric shock through me. Moving away from him, trying my best to ignore the attraction, I turn my attention back to the woman. She’s being placed in a car by two guards.

“What did she do?”

“Her job’s complete, and now she is no longer needed.”

Realization that I may need to escape this place also has me wanting to know more. “How do they wean you off of your mate’s bite?”

Turning her gaze to me, she stands. “Rylan didn’t have a mate, so he was allowed to feed on me to transition me. His next assignment consisted of him breeding me.”

A job that I’m sure he thoroughly enjoyed. I have to know. “And was he successful?”

“No, I made sure that I wouldn’t go through such a painful experience again,” she says after a long pause.

Taking some time to come to terms with her revelation, I don’t want to believe it. This can’t be true. Balen loves me. He wouldn’t bring me to a breeding camp.

“My mate loved me. I don’t doubt that, but above everything, including the love of one’s mate, duty comes first. And that duty is to repopulate their world,” she says as if she could read my thoughts.

Read the rest of the story on Inkitt This story is also available on Amazon! Thanks for reading!

—Book 2 is also available “The Alpha Centaurians: Eros Love”