Page 5 of His Little Hessonite (Eleadian Mates #10)

Chapter Five

Clara

I don’t know how I can sense Kalbrac’s stress, but I can. He’s worried about me. I’m worried about me, too, but I’ve been living with whatever is wrong with me for a few months. He only found out a few hours ago.

It’s weird, the bond between us. I feel it growing by the minute. I can’t begin to understand why it’s happening. It’s not logical. I assume it has something to do with the fact that he pricked my skin so many times.

He pricked my nipples… And now the doctor is pinching them. He’s concerned. His brow is furrowed. I’m too freaked out to ask what he’s thinking.

“Did you tell a doctor about this, Clara?” he asks as he switches from one nipple to the other.

I need him to stop. My nipples are very tender from Kalbrac sucking on them. My arousal is growing again from the attention. It’s disconcerting because this time it’s not Kalbrac doing the touching.

I need it to stop. “Papi…” I look his direction.

Kalbrac is paler than before. He looks very nervous. His gaze is on Dankin. His breath hitches as the doctor shifts his attention from my breasts to my stomach. He palpates all over my abdomen. “Any pain, Little one?” he asks softly.

“No, Sir.” I keep shifting my attention from the doctor to Papi. I can feel my stress level rising.

Dankin turns to pick up a device I don’t recognize from the counter. It looks like a metal detector. I’ve never actually seen a metal detector except on television, but I think that’s what they look like.

I’m pretty sure Kalbrac is holding his breath as Dankin turns the gadget on. “This is going to scan your entire body, Clara. It’s sort of like an X-ray and an MRI combined.” He looks at Kalbrac. “Can you let go of her for a few minutes?”

Kalbrac stiffens. I think he might argue for a moment, but he finally lets go of me and steps back. His eyes meet mine. He’s panicked. I get the feeling this doesn’t happen to him often.

I would love it if I could reassure him, but the truth is, I’m freaking the fuck out myself. He’s only dealing with the fact that the woman he just learned is his mate has some sort of disease. I’m dealing with far more than he is. I’m on a spaceship far above Earth being examined by a giant alien. Plus, the man who insists he’s my mate gave me a violent orgasm in front of the doctor who has answers he’s not sharing with us.

“Stay still for me, Little one,” the doctor instructs as he begins to move the wand up my body from my feet to my head.

I barely move while he glances back and forth from the scanner to a monitor. He’s frowning. I hate it. When he gets to my head, he lingers, holding the machine over my face for a long time before finally turning it off and setting it aside.

Kalbrac lurches forward and touches me, gripping my shoulder and my hip. “She’s pregnant, isn’t she?”

I gasp so loud both men jerk their attention to me. I start shaking my head. “I’m not pregnant.”

Kalbrac looks toward Dankin.

I jerk my wrists. “Take these off. Now. Dankin! Now. Release me.” I’m fuming. I’m not sure if I’m angry or not, but I need my freedom. I need to be able to sit up so I can face this man directly. We need to talk.

It’s the doctor who releases me. Not just my hands but my waist and my ankles, too. He helps me sit up.

I swing around so I’m facing Kalbrac. I try to ignore my nudity as I grab the lapels of his suit jacket. This man is mine. I know it as well as I know my own name. He’s mine, and I’m his. I feel it deeply. It’s irrational, but it’s true. I’m hardly bothered by my nudity.

He’s disheveled, and I suspect that doesn’t happen often. His tie is loosened and askew. His hair is messy because he’s been running a hand through it. His brows are deeply furrowed. He’s very concerned.

“I’m not pregnant, Papi,” I tell him. “Look at me.”

He meets my gaze and leans forward, his hands coming to my hips. He closes the distance between us, pulling me against him.

“I’m not pregnant,” I repeat.

“How can you be sure?”

I chuckle. It bubbles out of me. “I haven’t had sex in two years, Papi.” He likes it when I call him Papi. It calms him, so I will do so.

He lets out a long breath.

“She’s right,” Dankin says. “She’s not pregnant. But I know what’s wrong with her.”

We both turn to look at him. “Please… Tell me,” I beg.

“You have a tumor on your pituitary gland.”

I gasp. So does Papi. His grip on my hips tightens. I don’t know why I’m so in tune with him. I don’t understand it. But I can feel his panic.

He manages to speak before me. “Where is that? Can you fix it?”

“It’s in my head,” I murmur, but I have the same question.

Dankin nods, his gaze on mine. “It’s behind your nasal cavity, and yes, I can fix it.”

I blow out a breath. “I had an appointment with a doctor tomorrow. I assume he would have figured that out.”

“Perhaps.” Dankin strokes my hair. “It’s good you were chosen. Fate did well. Your doctors probably would have monitored the tumor for a while and eventually removed it. You would have lived a full life, but my medical technology is far superior. I will go in through your nose, remove the tumor now, and have you right as rain in no time.”

“Are you a surgeon?” I’m confused about why the ship’s doctor can also operate on something so close to my brain.

“We only have one kind of doctor on Eleadia. We can perform any sort of surgery or deal with any disease.”

I frown at him. “How is that possible?”

“Partly because our advanced technology allows it, but mostly because we have more time to perfect our skills than your doctors.”

I frown. “More time?”

Papi slides his hands to my back. “More years, Little one. We live longer. Dankin has been a doctor for over a hundred years.”

I gasp. “You have to be kidding. You look younger than me.” So does Kalbrac.

Dankin chuckles. “I assure you I am not. I’m one hundred and twenty-nine.”

My breath hitches. I jerk my attention to Papi. “How old are you?”

“One hundred and twenty-six.”

“My God…” I stare at him. “I look ten years older than you. I assumed you were in your mid-twenties.”

“I saw on your identification that you’re thirty-five. I also know today is your birthday. Happy birthday.” He smiles.

I ignore his birthday wishes and address the more important thing. “So, in fifty years when I’m old and dying, you’ll still look like you’re in your mid-twenties?” That thought makes me uneasy.

He shakes his head. “No, Baby girl. You will age much slower, too, once we get home. You will live centuries with me.”

I stop breathing. “Centuries?” That’s impossible to believe.

“Yes, Little one. We don’t know exactly how long any of us will live, but our scientists predict centuries.”

“Why don’t you know?”

“There was a disturbance in our airfield a century ago. Afterward, everything changed. Our females and elderly aged and died. Our young males survived, seemingly suspended in time. There are no Eleadian females in existence. That’s why we come to Earth to find a mate.”

My head is spinning. It’s a lot to take in.

Dankin hands Papi a blanket.

Papi wraps it around me and lifts me into his arms as though I weigh nothing. I suppose to him I’m nothing but a feather.

“So this pituitary tumor. It’s not life threatening?” I ask Dankin.

He shakes his head. “Not immediately. It’s slow growing. It’s simply making you tired. It’s causing your body to produce hormones that caused some weight gain and lactation. It’s not an immediate threat to your life.”

“But you’ll remove it.”

“Yes.”

“When will you operate?” Papi asks Dankin.

“I’ll take a bit of time to study the tumor in the scan and prepare for the surgery. Why don’t you take Clara to the room across the hall. Bathe her. Feed her. Keep her calm. Prepare her so she’ll know what to expect in her future. It won’t hurt if she has a nap. When she wakes up, I’ll do the surgery. I’ll want to monitor her for a few days before you put her into stasis for transport.”

“Okay.” Papi pulls me closer and kisses the top of my head. “Thank you.”

I don’t have time to ask more questions because Papi carries me from the room and across the hall. He opens another door and steps into a strange room. It looks like…a nursery. But all the furniture is huge.

Papi carries me to a giant crib, lowers me to the mattress, and lifts the side.

I immediately push to sitting, glancing around. My heartrate increases. I’m sort of trapped in what amounts to a cage with four slatted sides. It’s definitely a giant crib.

“It’s okay to sit up, Little one, but stay on your bottom.”

I stare at him as he removes his suit jacket.

“I want to change into more comfortable clothes, Baby girl. Then I’ll give you a bath and feed you.”

“I had a shower before I came to the club. I don’t need a bath,” I argue as I pull the blanket around me. “Why did you put me in this prison?”

He flinches. “It’s not a prison, Clara. It’s a crib. It’s a safe place to sleep. All of our females sleep in cribs, Baby girl. It keeps them from falling out of bed and getting hurt.”

I’m so stunned it’s hard to speak. “I haven’t fallen out of bed since I was a newborn, Kalbrac. I don’t need you to put me in a crib to protect me.”

He’s been unbuttoning his shirt while speaking, and now he removes it entirely. I realize he’s going to change in front of me. The idea intrigues me. I’m almost distracted from my cage.

Kalbrac appears even larger without his shirt on. His chest is so broad. His pecs are chiseled from stone. His six-pack would make any woman drool. I’ve only seen two Eleadians so far. Dankin appeared to be the same size as Kalbrac. Are all of them this large and this built? According to rumors, yes, but it’s still shocking to witness.

“I want you to know some of our customs, Little one, so you won’t be shocked when we get home.” He bends to remove his shoes. Is he going to take off his pants next?

Ignoring his statement, I lick my lips. My libido is in overdrive. The man is ripped. He’s taking my mind off the fact that I just learned there’s a tumor in my head. That should be freaking me out. I suspect I’m relatively calm from the lingering effects of whatever he injected me with.

My eyes bug out, and I stop breathing as Kalbrac removes his pants. He’s commando underneath, and holy fuck… His erection is enormous and jutting out. I’ve only had two partners, but neither of them had a cock as large as that. Not even close.

I should have realized his shaft would be big. It would have to be proportionate with the rest of his body. Duh. But how on Earth could he possibly put that inside me?

I squeeze my legs together and draw my knees up to my chest, hugging them, trying to keep the blanket all around me.

Papi grabs a pair of loose black pants from a shelf and puts them on. It’s almost a shame. I kind of liked the view even though it caused renewed panic. I’m stunned by how casually he stripped in front of me, but I probably shouldn’t have been surprised considering how casually he stripped me in the doctor’s office.

Papi lowers the side of the crib and squats down so we’re at eye level. He sets his hands on either side of me, not touching me. “You’re shocked by my size, yes?”

I nod. My mouth is dry.

“I’ve heard that human females worry about being able to take their mates into their bodies. I can assure you your channel will stretch to accommodate me.”

I’m not sure I believe him. My vagina felt tight around one of his fingers. How could he possibly put that enormous erection inside me?

“This is what you will see me wearing from now on. All of our males dress in loose pants made of the sumach plant. It’s the same material as the blanket you’re clutching.” He smiles.

I rub the material. “It’s very soft.”

“Everything that touches your skin will be soft like that, Baby girl.” He rises and scoops me up, cradling me again.

“You don’t have to carry me everywhere. I’m fine now. I can walk.”

He kisses my temple. “I will carry you a lot, Little one. Mostly because I enjoy holding you.” He tugs the blanket away from my chest and rolls me toward him so that my naked breasts press against his pecs.

I close my eyes for a moment because it feels so nice. I like being skin-to-skin with him. It’s oddly soothing. I sigh.

“My touch will keep you calm,” he says as if he’s read my mind. “I can force you to relax like I did before with my quill, but often my touch will be sufficient. Our bond will increase the more time we are skin-to-skin like this.”

He carries me to the other side of the room, and I open my eyes when I hear water running. I squirm to look at what he’s doing.

“I’m filling the basin so I can give you a bath, Baby girl. It’s important for me to wash your entire body and your hair with our water.”

“Your water?”

“Yes. We bring our water from Eleadia. It’s far more pure than any water you have on Earth. I’ve heard some females say it feels like a fountain of youth. You’ll feel healthier as soon as the impurities are washed off your body. You’ll feel even better after you drink it and we get your digestive tract cleaned out.”

Papi pulls the blanket away from me and lowers me into the water. The basin is perfectly sized for me to recline in with my legs bent. It’s deep and wide enough. It’s also high off the floor.

I trail my fingers through the water. It does feel nice. Once again I’m aware of feeling calmer than I should. I tip my head back to look at him. “Why is it so high off the floor? I would need a ladder to get into it.”

He chuckles. “You will never climb into the basin without me, Baby girl. I will always put you in it and wash you myself.”

I gasp. “I can bathe myself, Papi.”

He bends to kiss my forehead. “I bet you’ve done a fabulous job for thirty-five years, but you won’t wash your own body from now on. Papi will do it.”

He’s treating me like an infant. It’s unnerving between the crib and the bath. Is he going to treat me like a newborn in every way?

Papi fills a cup with water. “Tip your head back and close your eyes, Baby girl. I’m going to wet your hair.”

I grab the sides of the basin and obey him. I should probably argue, but it’s like he’s cast a spell over me, making me want to follow his instructions.

The water feels so good as it flows down my head, and I purr softly the moment he starts massaging soap into my hair. It smells good, and it feels so nice being pampered like this.

“Are you scared, Little one?” he asks gently.

“I’m frightened out of my mind,” I tell him.

“Tell me which parts are the most upsetting, Clara.”

“Besides the fact that I’m naked and letting a strange man give me a bath?” I say, almost teasing.

“This strange man is your lifemate, and you can sense it just as strongly as I can. I know it happened fast, but that’s the way of our matings. When we meet the perfect female, we know it instantly. I scented you from the dance floor as soon as a door opened between us. I rushed to your side immediately. You can’t imagine how panicked I felt to find my mate out cold from fainting.”

I try to imagine what he must have thought and the fear he would have felt. It’s illogical, but I get it. I do feel the same strong draw toward him he feels toward me.

Papi rinses my hair and then cups my face.

I set my hand over his. Does my touch soothe him like his does me? I think so.

He meets my gaze. “Dankin will fix you,” he assures me.

I swallow. “It’s scary. It would be a very big deal having a tumor removed from inside my head on Earth. Dankin seems very confident.”

“He’s a fantastic healer, Baby girl. He will get the tumor out.”

I search his gaze. “But you’re scared, too.”

He smiles warmly. “Yes, Baby girl. I will always worry about you for the rest of my life. Every day. I will be overprotective with you for this reason. It’s in my nature. When you’re injured, I will panic. When you’re hurting, I will hurt. When you’re sad, I will be sad, too.”

Tears come to my eyes. He’s so sincere. He feels deeply. He means every word. I know he does because I feel the same strong pull.

Papi releases my face and gets more liquid soap on his hands, rubbing his palms together as he watches me. “Close your eyes, Little one. I’m going to wash your face.”

I don’t wear a lot of makeup, but what little I have will be rinsed down the drain soon. “Do they have makeup on Eleadia?” I ask.

“No, Baby girl. We don’t allow our Little girls to wear makeup. Your skin will be free of everything. It will feel so much healthier.”

“No one wears makeup?”

“Nope.”

After he rinses my face, I open my eyes and watch him put soap on a soft cloth. He picks up my arm and gently washes me from my fingers to my shoulder. I’m mesmerized as he does the other arm, leans me forward to do my back, and then eases me to recline against the basin to do my chest.

My breath hitches when he rubs the cloth over my breasts. I purse my lips to keep from moaning.

“Your nipples are so pretty, Clara,” he murmurs. “With your skin tone, I’m thinking you will look beautiful adorned with hessonite stones.”

I look at him. “Hessonite? I’m not familiar with it.”

“It’s a deep red like the blouse you were wearing. It’s the perfect color on you. It will sparkle in the sunlight.” He’s staring at my breasts as he speaks, cupping them now with both hands.

When he thumbs my nipples, my breath hitches. My arousal has never fully subsided, but it spikes. “Papi…” I squeeze my legs together as renewed sexual need grows between them.

I can’t believe my mind is on sex when I should be fully focused on the fact that I’m about to have surgery in my skull. Papi makes it impossible to think about that. He shifts my focus to my nipples and my sex.

“Spread your legs, Baby girl. You may not clamp them together. I want your pussy open. I want to see it and smell your scent.”

I whimper. His words are odd and so dominant. I part my thighs for him, though. It’s hard to disobey him. Following his orders comes naturally, which is strange since I’ve never followed anyone’s orders before.

“Good girl.” He puts more soap on the washcloth and lifts first one foot and then the other, bathing every inch of me. I hold my breath when he slides the cloth up between my legs and can’t keep from moaning when he drags the soft material over my folds.

Papi drops the cloth and switches to stroking my sex with his fingers. “So soft…” he murmurs.

I’m panting. My gaze is on where his giant arm is between my legs. It’s mesmerizing watching him touch me. When he slides his hand lower and strokes over my forbidden hole, I clench my thighs around his hands. “Papi…”

“You will have no secrets from me, Clara. Relax your legs and your pretty bottom. Let me wash inside you.”

I shake my head and clamp down harder. “Not there, Papi,” I beg.

“Yes, Baby girl, even inside your bottom. I will stroke inside your tight little rosebud often, Little one. You will learn to enjoy my touch.”

I stiffen. In my bottom? “No,” I whimper.

“Yes, Little one,” he says firmly as he pushes his finger inside my tight rectum.

I shake my head even though I do nothing to stop him. He’s too large and strong for me to avoid whatever he wants to do to me anyway, but even my verbal argument has grown weak. “Papi…”

He eases his finger deeper and presses his thumb against my clit.

I grab the sides of the basin and lift my butt right off the bottom. I’m bombarded with unusual sensations. This shouldn’t feel good. I should tell him to stop. My eyes roll back as he reaches deeper and strokes my clit at the same time.

When he pushes another finger into my vagina, I cry out. My entire body clenches as an unexpected orgasm consumes me.