Saved by the Alien Crime Boss (Aliens Among Us #4)

Chapter 14

FOURTEEN

Mina smiled as she awoke. Her dream was already fading, but memories of what she’d experienced with Viktor rose to fill her mind with vivid images and tease her body with echoes of sensation—the feel of his hands on her breasts, his fingers on her clit, and his mouth…

God, the way his tongue had felt on her pussy.

She might not have lost her virginity by penetration, but what Viktor had done… It was beyond anything she ever could’ve imagined. She’d read hundreds of romance novels, had read countless erotic scenes, but she’d always thought them exaggerated. How could anything possibly feel so good?

Now Mina knew it didn’t feel that good; it felt better . And she wanted to do it all again. She wanted more, and she wanted to give him pleasure in return.

With a deep inhalation, she stretched, reaching her arms over her head. Her breath hitched as the rough material of the blanket rasped over her nipples, particularly the one Viktor had sucked. Mina opened her eyes and cupped her breasts beneath the blanket. That nipple was still raw and tender, and the press of her palm over it elicited pain bordering on pleasure. It was like he’d marked her, leaving a reminder of what they’d shared.

She tucked her bottom lip between her teeth as she grinned.

And he apparently sent me into an orgasm-induced sleep.

Though Mina was sure the champagne was partly responsible.

She glanced at the windows. It was still dark outside, and the snowfall hadn’t slowed. She had no idea what time it was, and at that moment, she didn’t care. The café wouldn’t be opening today.

Mina sat up. The blanket fell to her lap, baring her chest, and she shivered at the cold. She crossed her arms, rubbing them with her palms. Now that she was sitting, she could see outside more clearly. The snow had piled up overnight, high enough to partially block the windows—at least two feet, likely more. And the storm showed no signs of letting up.

Her café definitely wouldn’t be opening, not for a few days.

She inwardly winced.

I hope Viktor doesn’t get sick of me, because it looks like I’ll be staying for a little while.

But where was Viktor?

Intending to grab her sweater and find him, Mina turned and lowered her feet to the floor.

She froze.

Someone—some thing —lay upon the floor, sprawled out between the coffee table and the other sofa. He was wearing gray sweatpants just like Viktor’s, but this…this was certainly not Viktor. It couldn’t be.

Not-Viktor had one arm resting across his belly, the other on the floor over his head, and long, silken white hair spread around him. Mina clutched the blanket as her gaze traced the black horns curving up and back from his temples. His skin was pale, closer to alabaster than any flesh she’d ever seen, with solid black tattoos hugging his hips and covering his neck.

His toes and fingertips were also a deep black that faded as it neared his feet and hands, and she couldn’t help but notice the menacing black claws at their tips.

His eyebrows and lashes were the same white as his hair, and his features were sharp, almost elfin, a resemblance only enhanced by his pointed ears. But those features had a familiarity to them.

This isn’t Viktor. It can’t be him.

But hadn’t she’d glimpsed this before? Just last night in his kitchen?

I was drinking. It was the alcohol playing tricks with my mind.

No, it hadn’t been a trick. She’d seen this. She’d seen him .

Terror seized Mina, and she frantically shook her head as her heart and breath quickened. She squeezed her eyes shut.

This isn’t real. I’m dreaming. I’ll wake up and Viktor will be there.

But when Mina opened her eyes, the Not-Viktor creature was still there.

A whimper escaped her, and she slapped a hand over her mouth. She quickly searched the floor. Her shirt lay on the other side of him, next to the empty champagne bottle.

For a moment, she considered abandoning the sweater and running out of there half naked.

He’s sleeping, and it’s just right there. You can do this. Just grab it and go. Easy.

Lifting the blanket aside, she slowly rose from the sofa and tiptoed around him. When she reached her top, she crouched, casting Not-Viktor a fearful glance before snatching up the garment and standing. She swiftly tugged it on, jamming her arms through the sleeves and pulling the hem down.

But as she turned and stepped away, she realized she’d forgotten a very important detail.

The bottle.

Her foot struck it, knocking it against one of the coffee table legs with a loud clank .

Not-Viktor bolted upright, fangs bared in a snarl. She glimpsed ethereal white irises against inky black sclera just before he grabbed her leg and pulled it out from beneath her.

Mina cried out, throwing her arms forward to catch herself as she fell. She hit the floor hard, and the air whooshed from her lungs, stunning her.

A rough hand grabbed her arm and flipped her over. Not-Viktor loomed over her and caught her throat, silencing the scream that had built in her chest. Those claws bit into her skin, and she felt blood trickling from the wounds.

Mina grabbed his wrist with both hands as her wide eyes met his.

His nostrils flared with a ragged inhalation. He stilled. Some of the hardness eased from his expression, and his slit pupils expanded as he stared down at her. “Mina?”

A crease formed between his brows when his gaze dipped to his hand. Growling, he released her neck, pulling his arm back like he’d been burned.

As she drew in a gasping breath, Mina swung her arm upward. Her forearm struck the side of his head hard enough to throw him off balance. Without waiting to see how quickly he’d recover, Mina scrambled out from beneath him, got to her feet, and ran toward the kitchen.

Sevik braced an arm on the sofa to steady himself. Dull pain pulsed across his cheek, echoed and overshadowed by the preexisting throbbing in his skull. His mouth and throat were as dry as sun-scorched sand, his tongue was swollen and rough, and his limbs were heavy, filled with lead.

But he could only pay attention to his hand. To the crimson droplets clinging to his claws.

Fuck .

That word wasn’t strong enough, not nearly. Sevik didn’t know any words that could properly express his shock and anguish.

I imprinted on her.

Imprinted on her and harmed her. Hand around her throat, skin broken, blood drawn…

Not even a full fucking day since he’d imprinted on Mina, and he’d already hurt her.

The constriction in his chest made it a struggle to breathe, and the ice in his veins made every thunderous beat of his heart a new agony. He’d harmed many people. He’d spilled blood, dealt wounds, ended lives. But nothing had ever made him feel like this.

He turned his hand. The droplets shifted only slightly, too small to fall.

Everything inside him froze when he realized what he was looking at—black fingertips, sharp claws, and pale, pale skin. He dropped his gaze to find that same skin on his torso, and black lyros flowing down around his waist.

His holoshroud was deactivated.

And Mina had just fled.

“ Cyr fucking orkaal !” Sevik leapt up, shoving the couch askew and bumping aside the coffee table. “ Mina !”

Fuck, why was his own voice so loud?

His legs protested the sudden movement, and his head spun. He pressed a hand to his forehead, gritted his teeth, and stumbled across the living room, only regaining his balance when he finally reached the entrance to the kitchen and braced his shoulder against the doorframe.

Cold wind howled through the laundry room doorway.

She’ll die out there.

She’s seen me.

Those thoughts stemmed from two different instincts, one a need to protect his mate, the other a need to protect himself. But both led to the same conclusion—he needed to get her. Now.

His pounding heart pumped adrenaline through his veins as he raced across the kitchen and into the laundry room. The front door stood open, and large snowflakes drifted in on the wind. His eyes immediately fixed on Mina.

She was beside her car, digging through knee-deep snow with her bare hands to unbury the driver’s side door.

“Mina,” Sevik said as he approached her.

Her head snapped up. Her eyes met his, and she stilled, terror straining her features. Seeing it was like a knife to Sevik’s heart.

Spinning away from him, she frantically trudged through the snow.

With a growled curse, Sevik gave chase, his longer legs devouring the distance between them. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, pinning her arms against her sides and lifting her against his chest.

Mina kicked and screamed. “Let me go!”

He clenched his jaw as that scream amplified the ache in his head.

“Where the fuck would you go?” he bit out, carrying her toward the house.

She wriggled in his arms and flailed her legs. Despite her size, she was deceptively strong, and he nearly lost his grip on her. She reared her head back, forcing Sevik to cock his head to avoid catching her skull with his chin. When her bootheel struck his shin, he snarled and tightened his hold on her.

He stomped into the house, kicked the door closed behind him, and brought her back to the living room. All the while, she fought fiercely.

Sevik shoved her face-down onto the couch. Catching her wrists, he forced them behind her back and held them with one hand as he yanked off her boots. Once her wet footwear had been tossed in the direction of the back door, he climbed atop her, straddling her legs to trap them against the cushions.

Mina screamed again, thrashing and tugging her arms. “Please! Don’t hurt me.”

Her desperate, pleading tone twisted that blade in his chest. Instinct demanded he eliminate the threat to her, demanded he destroy the source of her fear.

How the fuck was he supposed to do that when he was both?

Sevik leaned forward, lowering his head. Long white hair fell to the sides of his face. “Mina.”

She shrank from him. “Let me go. Just let me go. Please don’t hurt me.”

Sevik growled. “I’m not going to fucking hurt you!”

Already did.

Mina whimpered, and her struggles waned as she turned her cheek onto the cushion. She looked up at him with one wide, frightened, watery eye.

Fuck .

Drawing in a deep breath, Sevik gentled his voice. “Listen to me, Mina. There is nowhere for you to go. You are safest right here. Do you understand?”

She pressed her lips together and nodded.

“I’m going to let you up,” he continued. “If you scream, I will gag you. If you run, I will tie you to a chair. I don’t want to do those things. So, you’re going to be nice and calm once I let go, yes?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Good girl.” Sevik slowly lifted himself off her legs before releasing her arms.

Mina scurried out from beneath him.

Sevik tensed, ready to grab her if she tried to strike him and flee again. But she turned, pressed her back to the armrest, and hugged her legs to her chest, watching him warily.

She looked so small and timid. If it had been anyone else cowering before him, he would’ve reveled in their fear and discomfort. All he felt now was a dense, foreboding weight sinking in his gut.

But he knew her trembling was due to more than fear. Those tremors shaking her shoulders, quivering her chin, shaking her curls… She was freezing.

Slowly, he picked up the blanket she’d discarded on the sofa and spread it between his hands. Mina tensed as he moved it closer to her. He draped it over her gently before backing away. Keeping his eyes locked with hers, he lowered himself onto the opposite end of the couch, bending a leg atop the cushion to keep his body toward hers.

She relaxed slightly, curling her fingers around the blanket and tugging it to her chest.

They sat like that in silence, Mina’s gaze occasionally shifting to a different part of his body before returning to his.

“No questions now?” Sevik asked. “Usually they don’t stop.”

“Who are you?” The words burst from her, quickly followed by, “ What are you?”

Sevik ran his claws through his hair. Deflection would’ve been the best tactic. Avoid giving any real answers, withhold information for his safety—and for hers. Nothing good could come from sharing the truth.

But it was too late. She’d already seen him, and he was already too involved.

And killing her to protect his identity was out of the fucking question.

Foolish as it was, he still yearned to hear his real name in her voice, breathy and lustful, suffused with passion and desire.

He wanted to keep her.

Sevik knew he couldn’t do so without endangering her life. If Brekker ever found him, or if the human authorities discovered his true nature, she’d get swept up in it. She could get hurt or worse…

She deserves to know.

Sevik owed her that much, at least. She deserved to know what she was involved with. Who she was involved with.

“Anything I tell you, Mina, is never to be repeated to anyone,” he said. “You hold these secrets until death. Am I clear?”

Mina nodded.

“Say it.”

“Yes. I…I won’t say anything to anyone. I promise.”

He shouldn’t have believed her. Sevik knew better than to take anyone at their word, knew better than to let his guard down. Even being careful and vigilant, he’d been betrayed by one of the people closest to him.

But he believed Mina down to his very core.

“My name is Sevik kol Talris. I’m a korasi.”

Mina furrowed her brow. “A…korasi?” Her gaze flicked to his horns. “Are you a demon?”

Were it not for the reading he’d done here on Earth, Sevik wouldn’t have had any understanding of the word. “I don’t know if demons exist, but I’m not one of them. I’m what you would call an alien.”