Page 54 of Invasive Species (Outcasts of Oloria #2)
As soon as the scorching searchlight hits, I pull Law-rah to my chest and scale up my back and sides. The air lies silent but the pattern of the rain gives it away: something hovers directly above us.
Law-rah trembles and I wrap my arms tighter around her. I’ll protect her with my life.
‘Defend! ’ I mentally shout to Nevare and Arik. ‘ Formation zeta!’
Immediately Arik and I mentally guide Nevare’s consciousness toward the light above us, as if we’re aiming a projectile. ‘Scan and prepare to immobilize,’ I order, and then brace as images flash into my mind, each one hitting as hard as a betrillium crusher in Nevare’s excitement.
‘Earth growing soil starhound barn farmhouse home!’ he crows.
“Argh,” I gasp. I might have a metal plate in my head, but psychic energies don’t care about the physical and spear straight through. I squeeze my eyes shut and grit my teeth against the onslaught.
“Breathe,” Law-rah whispers to me, her voice throbbing. This close, my meager powers sense the edges of her emotions as flickering auras. Surrounding her is a scared spiky blue, and she’s fighting to stay a calm yellow-green to tell me to: “Breathe, Dom.”
I take in a deep lungful of air, inhaling the moist heat of her outbreath. The way she looked at me inside the machine shed… she wasn’t scornful, mocking or dismissive. Nor was she frightened. She looked… concerned.
The intensity was something I’d never experienced before, and certainly never from a female.
I report, “Nevare’s found two, no, four sentient lifeforms above us. In a spaceship.”
“In a… Hell’s own thesaurus, not more aliens!” Her spiky blue blends with an red angry core, making it purple in places. “You let one group stay and they think they can all move in!”
I chuckle. “This one knows he can stay.” I ride the bond with Nevare now, reporting what he senses as he sees it.
A bright blue shape, and beside him, her energies winding close to his, is his mate.
I announce, “It’s Ilia and El-len, they've returned.”
“About fracking time.” Law-rah’s energy burns hot yellow with happiness. I haven’t sampled someone’s aura like this before; it’s only been this clear when Nevare rides in my mind, not when I’m split between my physical body and my Apex’s far reaching powers.
Nevare’s attention turns to strobe across the craft, searching for more intelligence. Two blinding bright lights of pure white glow from the cockpit.
I interpret, “They bring with them starhounds, explorers from the far reaches of the galaxy.”
“So, even more aliens after all,” Law-rah gripes, but her aura still shines a yellow as rich as the flowers springing up around the farmhouse despite the expletives in her voice. She’s truly happy.
The craft glides away over the roof of the farm house to hover over the garden.
The shelter under the shuttle's wings shifts away, exposing us to the driving rain again.
She lets out a small choking sob and I pull her close to shield her as much as I can, but I suspect she's not upset over lack of cover.
More overwhelmed, her energy massing in pinks, purples, and yellows.
“Nevare sees that Ilia plans to land over there,” I reassure her. “They aren't leaving again.”
“They'd better not,” Law-rah says fiercely. She wriggles against me a little to get a hand free to wipe her eyes, but she doesn't ask me to let go.
Despite many of my senses riding with Nevare, I'm acutely aware of her body pressing against mine. The generous curves of her hips rest against the top of my thighs, and I ease my legs apart slightly to help her fit closer. Her body is softer than I’d ever expected, and her sodden coverings are cold where they stick to my upper abdominal scales.
I heat my core for her, and she instantly spreads her fingers over my stomach with a soft sigh of contentment.
The sound and her touch zip straight in an arc directly to my cock and crinis, both straining against my thick carapace.
They build the pressure inside me to a peak of acute pain as they quickly get too big to be contained.
I tip my head back, biting my lip hard to stop myself from following my instincts; to take and touch and taste this female. These aren’t Parthiastock impulses! What is this?
‘? Dom’s panicking,’ Nevare sends across our connection, his attention swinging to me. Drok na , I was broadcasting all over my wave brothers!
‘Is that what a female feels like?’ Arik’s voice is curious but not overly interested, and he starts cataloging my feelings. ‘Arousal pain denial frustration want longing ? —’
‘Stop!’ I order. This feels too personal, too private, as if Law-rah’s closeness belongs to me alone somehow.
But it doesn’t, and it shouldn’t. I can’t risk distracting Nevare while he’s using his powers. I nearly groan with loss as Law-rah moves back, breaking contact with me. Her colors fade from my awareness, leaving a lingering impression of endless blue I will treasure forever.