The Krinar Chronicles Page 6

  I wasted no time guiding the discussion. As the realization dawned on the group that I was calling on each of them to bring the Krinar together with local community leaders in their countries in order to end the panic, silence fell. It extended long enough to leave no doubt of how truly disturbing that concept was to most of them.

  Finally, the Russian spoke. He was in his forties, formerly of the state security service, and exuded an air of amusement that he did not try to conceal.

  Smirking, he said, “With all due respect, Counselor Jarek, these people you want to involve yourselves with are no more capable of understanding the complexities and nuances of the Arrival than the masses in general are. I assure you that those of us at the highest level will see our countries through this. It’s simply going to take some time.”

  “You don’t have time,” I said bluntly. “The Panic is killing people in every one of your countries. As Counselor, I must tell you that the loss of human life is not acceptable to the Krinar. If you fail to cooperate with our efforts to stop it, we will have no choice but to act without you.”

  “And do what exactly?” The Indian representative asked. “Surely, anything you could do would only increase the hostility directed at you and even worsen the Panic.”

  “That would be true if we were so foolish as to use violence. But as you know, we reserve that strictly for self-defense. Instead, we will go directly to the people you seem to scorn. I have no doubt that among them we will find effective, trustworthy partners to join us in creating this new age for humanity.”

  Around the table, the representatives of the most powerful countries on Earth could not hide their dismay. I had, in effect, just told them that they were expendable. They could be swatted away whenever we chose, stripped of power and status, and replaced by those they considered so much less worthy than themselves. The very idea shocked and terrified them.

  Or at least most of them.

  The emissary from Down Under didn’t appear at all concerned about what his fellow Aussies would do. His ready confidence in them reminded me that of all the parts of Earth that I had visited, Australia was most like the area of Krina that my own people came from. Rugged, a bit remote, disinclined to meddle in the affairs of others but always ready to step up and do whatever was necessary.

  And then there was Charlotte--

  Quietly, she said, “Your frustration is understandable, Counselor Jarek. My government shares your commitment to ending the Panic quickly and peacefully. However, make no mistake, the United States of America is a sovereign nation. We choose our own leaders. They will never be imposed upon us, not even from within.”

  She was the youngest person in the room and the most junior. But damn if she hadn’t stood up to me when none of the rest dared to do so. Was it any wonder that I’d jumped over that wall to get her?

  Even so, I didn’t miss the ripple of anticipation that went around the table. The brash American was about to face the wrath of the Krinar. They could hardly wait. Except for the Aussie again, who frowned and squared his shoulders as though preparing to intervene if necessary.

  Happy to spare him the trouble, I inclined my head. “Believe me, Miss Hughes, it would never be my intention to impose anything whatsoever on you.”

  She tilted her head and looked directly at me with those incredible blue eyes. Her voice was low and a little husky with what I had to hope was desire the equal of my own.

  “In that case, we shouldn’t have a problem, Counselor.”

  I shifted in my seat. It was fortunate that she understood my frustration because with every moment that I was near her it was becoming more unbearable. I doubted that I would be able to contain it much longer.

  Chapter Eight

  Charlotte

  What was I doing, engaging in sexual innuendo with Jarek in front of a roomful of foreign diplomats. Was I crazy?

  Well, yes, quite possibly.

  For sure, I wasn’t being a good girl and obediently following Loomis’ instructions. That sexually harassing piece of scum had vanished from my thoughts the moment I walked into the embassy and saw Jarek. As much as I would have liked to believe that Counselor Hottie had done something to me--some kind of super advanced Krinar aphrodisiac--I knew deep down that it wasn’t true. This was all just me lusting after him.

  Never mind that the situation was as serious as it could get. The fate of our world hung in the balance and all I could think of was going to bed with him? I should have been ashamed of myself and maybe I would have been if it had been anyone other than Jarek. He threatened to burn away every fragment of self-control that I possessed.

  For the sake of my own pride, not to mention my country, I couldn’t let that happen.

  Even so by the time the task force meeting was over, I was ridiculously aroused just from sitting near him and listening to the sound of his voice. My nipples were hard little peaks of excitement straining against the lace of my bra. The silly things had no idea how to behave in public. My skin was flushed and I was all too aware of the dampness between my thighs.

  Frustration at being so close to him and having to remain so distant only made matters worse. Why couldn’t I be attracted to the hot Aussie instead? Rugged good looks, great accent, killer grin, no wedding ring. And interested; he hadn’t made any secret of that. Maybe it was the end of the world as we know it thing that was making everyone reckless, myself included.

  Although I didn’t think that explained why I had to go for the alien.

  I tried to imagine what my parents would say. They’d become diplomats in order to serve their country. But they were also fascinated by the variety of human cultures, seeing the good and bad in all. What would they have made of the Krinar? And more specifically, of Jarek?

  They had been executed before I was old enough for anything more than the most basic discussions about dating, boys, sex and the like. But for as long as I could remember, they’d had one very clear message for me: Be true to yourself.

  I was still figuring out how to do that but I was sure of one thing: it didn’t mean denying my feelings for Jarek. However shocking, bewildering and scarily irresistible they were, I had to face them head on.

  Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the meeting ended. One by one, the holographic images flickered out. Last to go was the Aussie. He gave me a regretful smile before he vanished.

  “That went well,” Jarek said when we were alone again.

  I stared at him. He looked completely serious. “Did it? You just told them that everything they value--their careers, their status, their power--all of it can vanish in an instant if they don’t do what you want.”

  I waited for him to deny it but he merely shrugged, the movement of his broad shoulders distracting me so that I almost missed his reply.

  “That’s true…but I did it politely.” He hesitated a moment, frowning. “Didn’t I?”

  I stared at him for a moment. That was easy enough to do; he was too damn gorgeous, square jaw, chiseled cheekbones, sinful mouth, the whole deal. Even so, I couldn’t miss that he was honestly concerned I might interpret his behavior negatively.

  After a year at State, I’d almost forgotten what honest humility sounded like.

  Smiling, I asked, “Whoever decided that you should be a diplomat?”

  He looked genuinely surprised. “No one. Ambassador Arus is a diplomat. I’m a counselor. Those are very different functions.”

  “Sort of like ‘good cop, bad cop’?”

  “I’m not entirely sure what that means but it sounds close enough. Except that my counsel is usually reserved for the Ambassador. Unfortunately, given the circumstances, we don’t have time for the usual diplomatic niceties.”

  The reminder that people were dying in the streets brought me thudding back down to earth. Quietly, I said, “You’re very good at getting your point across. I’ve never seen a roomful of powerful people so smacked in the face by reality.”

  “Thank you.” That devastating ga
ze narrowed. “However, there was an exception. I got the impression that the Australian had something else on his mind.”

  I frowned, trying to understand what he meant. Was Jarek…jealous? Was that even possible?

  I should have been annoyed that he could react that way, as though I was already his. But all I could manage was an even greater awareness of how aroused he made me.

  “Is something wrong?” he asked with a faint smile.

  I shook my head quickly. “No, it’s just a bit warm in here.”

  “I thought it might be something else.”

  “Such as--” I was tempting fate but I couldn’t stop myself.

  He took a step forward…and another. What had already been only a small space between us vanished almost entirely. I could feel the warmth and power of his body reaching out to surround me. The sensation brought with it an unexpected sense of safety that was as seductive as everything else about him.

  Softly, he said, “I can smell your arousal, Charlotte. Do you have any idea what that does to me? How fiercely I respond to it?”

  My face flamed. He couldn’t mean… I was wet, soaked even but…

  “How can you--? I mean… That’s not possible.”

  He raised his hand and brushed the tips of his fingers along the curve of my cheek in a gesture that was at once inexpressibly tender and almost painfully seductive. Deep inside me, muscles flexed and tightened in a primal response that I couldn’t deny.

  “It isn’t for a human male except perhaps on a very subliminal level. My sense perception is much stronger. For instance, right now I know that you’re wet and soft, ready for me. If I were in you right now, you would be drawing me deeper and clasping me harder with every thrust I made. When you came, your pleasure would bring me right to the edge and hurl me over it. You wouldn’t stop milking me until I was wrung dry. You would own me completely.”

  If I hadn’t already been melting, that would have done it. I was in very real danger of becoming putty in his hands. Worse yet, I couldn’t seem to mind.

  “You realize this isn’t remotely fair,” I said.

  “When is anything?”

  “So you would…respond like that to any female, Krinar or human? Is that how it works?”

  “Not even close.” His eyes darkened, hinting at the emotional storm behind them. “I’m as surprised by this as you are.” His hand curved around the nape of my neck, drawing me even closer. Huskily, he said, “But I also accept it.”

  His dark head lowered, giving me time to pull away, protest, do something, anything to stop him.

  Instead, I swayed closer, desperate for his taste and touch.

  A groan broke from him as his mouth claimed mine. There was nothing tentative or hesitant about how he did it. I felt the stroke of his plunging tongue clear to my core. When his hands slipped down my back to clasp my buttocks, I gasped. Through the thin layers of clothing separating us, his long, rigid erection was more than evident. Helplessly, I surrendered to irresistible temptation and rubbed against him, the sensation only heightening my already unbearable need.

  Wrenching his mouth from mine, Jarek glared down at me.

  “Kyloka, Charlotte! You’ll unman me.”

  Was that not allowed? We’d see about that! I wanted to make him come apart, completely unravel in my arms and in my body. All that power and will, all that sheer gorgeous maleness, mine to do with as I would.

  Go, Earth girl!

  I reached a hand between us, cupping his straining cock and at the same time raked my teeth along the column of his throat. A long shudder rippled through him. His hold tightened on my ass.

  Emboldened, I murmured, “If that happens, how many minutes before I can get you hard again, do you think?” Stroking him, I teased, “Want to find out?”

  Some other person, not me because I had never, ever been remotely so wild--saw fit to add, “I’d like to take you in my mouth, Jarek, stroke all along your magnificent cock with my tongue, tasting you, finding exactly where you’re most sensitive, then sucking you deeper--”

  “That’s it!”

  Powerful hands clasped my shoulders. He stepped back, not letting me go but putting distance between us.

  “You…” he started, only to break off as he labored for breath, all the while still glaring at me. This was one hot and bothered alien. If I had any trepidation about what I’d unleashed, I wasn’t about to admit it even to myself.

  Not even when Jarek said, “You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”

  Maybe not but I knew that his hold on me had become a caress, his thumbs stroking my neck, reaching right up under my ear lobes where--who knew?--I was incredibly sensitive.

  My knees were threatening to buckle when I managed to say, “Then tell me.”

  Chapter Nine

  Charlotte

  Dinner with the insanely hot alien.

  At a very private table on the embassy veranda, surrounded by floating glow lamps that looked like clusters of tiny stars, served with one delicacy after another that arrived as though on wings.

  A girl could get used to this.

  But first, I agreed with Jarek that we needed to clear the air between us.

  “Are you married?” I asked. Admittedly, it was a little late to think of that but better late than never. If there was a woman back on Krina or even a whole lot closer, I was checking myself into the nearest nunnery.

  To my infinite relief--not to mention the nunnery’s--Jarek looked at me as though I’d taken leave of my senses.

  “Are you seriously asking if I could behave as I have done with you while being involved with another woman?”

  When I just stared back at him, waiting for his answer, he sighed. “No, Charlotte. I’m not in any sort of relationship and I most certainly have never shared the Celebration of Forty-Seven with any woman.”

  Relief flooded me. Never mind that I wasn’t entirely sure what he was talking about.

  “Forty-seven… What’s that?”

  “The nearest equivalent we have on Krina to your institution of marriage. When a Krinar couple has been together for forty-seven of our years, they declare their intention to remain together forever. At that time, they celebrate their union in a bonding ritual shared with all their family and friends. I have never come remotely close to anything like that.”

  “But you’ve had relationships?” No man as gorgeous and as obviously virile as Jarek could possibly not have.

  “Yes, of course,…” He hesitated a moment before adding, “Although not recently.”

  Oh? That was interesting. Had he just been busy or--

  Delicately, I asked, “How long---?”

  “About fifty of your years.”

  Fifty years? The hottest male on two planets had been celibate for fifty years? More than twice as long as I’d been alive? Ohmygod!

  What I had gotten myself into? He was much bigger and vastly stronger than me. And his cock… I’d been teasing and tormenting him, playing with him and--

  He wouldn’t hurt me. I didn’t question how I knew that, I just did. The fact that we were sitting there having a civilized dinner together was the ultimate testament to Jarek’s self-control. If it had been left up to me, we would have been having crazed monkey sex up against the nearest wall.

  Not saying I was proud of that; just being honest.

  “That long? Do Krinar usually abstain like that or--”

  Was I imagining it or did he blush?

  “Not usually. Generally speaking, sex is a natural part of life for us--fun, recreational but nothing more serious than that, unless it takes place within the context of a committed relationship.”

  “Then why did you--?”

  I could see he was wrestling with himself and held my breath. How open would he be? Enough…or not? I was making a leap of faith in believing that we could surmount all that divided us. Would he do the same?

  “Fifty years ago, I killed a man in the Arena.”

  Okay, defini
tely open. I swallowed hard.

  “You killed--” I couldn’t focus on that. Not because it was such a surprise but because it wasn’t. I’d sensed from the beginning that Jarek had a fierce will and the courage to go with it. His body, his strength, his maleness… The ancient concept of protector/provider kicked in. I accepted that he could, under the right circumstances, kill. But I had to understand why.

  “The Arena? What is that?”

  He looked relieved that I was asking about it first rather than focusing on what he had done. As though he’d feared I would recoil from him. My heart twisted. Whatever he was about to tell me had obviously had a deep and long-lasting effect on him.

  “In the distant past, if two Krinar had a disagreement that they couldn’t settle, the result was often a deadly feud between families and even entire clans. To prevent that, the concept of the Arena arose, a place where differences that are otherwise irreconcilable can be settled in a manner that doesn’t involve anyone else.”

  “By combat?” The incredibly advanced Krinar who had crossed interstellar space were still capable of behavior that many humans would consider primitive?

  “Yes. No weapons are permitted and the outcome, whatever that may be, settles the matter.”

  “Is it commonplace? Do your people do this often?”

  “A few times in any given year. It’s an outlet for our most primitive drives, which you should know, we still possess in full. Rather than try to deny them, we channel them in the least destructive ways possible.”

  “I see…” I didn’t really but I was damn well trying to. “How did you become involved in such a situation?”