Kai's Captive Page 2

  The man was tall, more so than she was. His golden eyes shone in the low light, a perfect contrast to his pale blue skin. His arms were thick, solid ropes of muscles, which flexed as he moved his hands to his hips. That shift brought her full attention to the definition of his chest despite the black shirt he wore.

  Black, blue, and gold were a color combination Josie loved in art—not that she’d had time for such things since the Rising—and they were more than appealing on this guy.

  His face was all angles and sharp lines, topped with a messy mop of black hair that parted in the middle and hung low against his cheeks. She wanted to reach out and push his hair behind his ears so she could get a better look at his face, so she could better look into the eyes glaring back at her.

  Wait, the skin color meant something about their rank or abilities, right? She wasn’t sure she would ever get used to this cast system thing.

  The man’s eyes narrowed on her even as he relaxed his clenched jaw. “I’m Kai, head of security to Atlas, second son of Radon. You’re not supposed to be here.”

  Josie looked around, scared she’d missed a sign telling her no trespassing, or whatever the Atlantean equivalent was. “According to the maps, this is a public garden. I didn’t see any restrictions for race or occupation.” That didn’t mean that she hadn’t broken some unwritten law though, and the last thing she wanted to do was create any problems that might jeopardize her chance at becoming an engineer here. “But if I missed something, I’m sure other humans will as well. You might want to put a better sign up.”

  Kai didn’t say anything else, but he also didn’t take his eyes from her.

  Okay, time to bail before you get your ass thrown in jail. She picked up the data-pad from where it fell. “Sorry. I didn’t know there was a ‘no humans allowed’ thing here. I’ll head back to my quarters. You don’t need to worry about me coming here again. Though, if we’re not supposed to be here, then someone should make a point of moving the bench. It’s really in the perfect spot.”

  Josie came here because her room was too damn quiet for her liking. At least in the park, there was life, a vibrancy that came close to what she’d had living on the Defiant. Creatures lived in the plant. Birds sang songs that sounded familiar and altogether alien at the same time. Voices of people passing by, talking about random topics—some important, others silly—soothed as much as they grounded her.

  For the first time since their arrival aboard this submerged city, Josie had started to relax and feel the tiniest bit at home. She’d have to find somewhere else where she could study and not be alone.

  Kai hadn’t moved, blocking her escape. He was frowning at her, looking her up and down as though she were an odd puzzle to solve. She was about to call him out on his sizeable freaking body preventing her from leaving when his scent struck her.

  It was that delicious fragrance, the one that had haunted her nearly since the moment she’d stepped foot on Atlantis. And it was coming from the man standing in front of her.

  Oh no.

  With great effort, she gave her head a shake and focused her attention on his body. It was then she noticed he was one of their cybernetically enhanced people. The implants were difficult to make out in the low light, even against his pale blue skin. She hadn’t noticed the dark blue light that blinked once, twice, once again, before staying on for several seconds. A cycle she noticed on several other Atlantean systems.

  A base code, perhaps.

  Now that she saw them, Josie couldn’t look away. She took a step forward, her hand lifting as though she couldn’t stop from wanting to touch him. “You’re a cyborg?”

  “No.” The single syllable was short, sharp. Spoken like a dagger. “I’m enhanced.”

  Shit, she really needed to learn some tact. “Sorry. Again. It’s just . . . I’m not used to seeing people modified that way.”

  The scent seemed to get stronger the longer they talked, making it increasingly difficult to keep her attention fixed. Her body flared with lust, causing her nipples to tighten and her pussy to ache from want. She’d not shown any sense of attraction to any Atlantean men to this point, let alone overwhelming desire. Josie wasn’t a prude, but she’d never had any intense lust toward another person before now. Maybe it was another one of his modifications?

  She swallowed hard and tried to shallow her breathing. “I feel . . . strange. Is that because of you?”

  For the first time since he barreled through the bushes and scared her, Kai looked embarrassed. “Yes.”

  “That’s quite the superpower.” He wasn’t going to have any problems finding sexual partners if that’s what he wanted. “I haven’t met another Atlantean who, ah, smells like you.”

  “What do you mean?” His frown was a full-on scowl now. “What smell?”

  Maybe she was losing her mind. “I, ah, think I better go.” Josie took another step closer, the scent of him nearly too much for her to handle. “Do you mind?” She waved him to the side. “You’re massive.”

  He took a giant step and turned so she’d have room to pass. When she came close, he bent slightly toward her. His proximity was enough to make her stop. “Why did you come here?”

  “It was private, and I wanted to get some reading done.” She held up the data-pad for him to see. “Boring stuff.”

  Heat from his body washed over her and Josie found it nearly impossible to maintain her concentration. This time when he spoke, a shiver rolled through her body. “There are other private spaces. Why here?”

  With each passing second, it became more challenging to think. Arousal made everything seem more significant, brighter: the brush of her nipples against the rough Atlantean fabric, the press of her damp panties against her clit, the rush of endorphins through her blood; it all made her skin prickle with awareness.

  She needed to answer his questions and get the hell out of here. “I still hear the sound of everyone. I am alone but with others.”

  “What are you studying?”

  “Engineering schematics on the air scrubbers.” God, she was going to come on the spot if this conversation went on much longer. “I’m on the maintenance crew.”

  “I see.” He continued to look at her but didn’t say anything else.

  Josie couldn’t wait any longer, her arousal growing too much for her to handle. She needed to get back to her quarters and do something about it now before she lost her mind. Or did something completely rash.

  Like tear his clothes off and fuck him.

  “I’m leaving now. Okay?” She gave him one final look before stomping down the path and out into the main park area, leaving the Atlantean behind. She didn’t know what he was doing on the secluded path himself, but she knew she couldn’t stay.

  Home, or as close to home as she had these days, would be a welcomed relief.

  Kai continued to stare after the human woman long after she’d disappeared down the path. Something about her caught him off guard, something that set his nerves on edge and his synapsis firing. Her dark brown hair had been pulled back tight, showing him everything she had to offer. There was no hiding her expressions—fear, annoyance, lust—as they flitted across her face. Gods, how little these humans hid. How innocent they were, children in their world.

  Physically, she was nothing like a child. Lush, full breasts, and long muscular legs that rose up to a full ass. Kai had found it difficult to look away from that ass as she’d bolted from his presence, something he’d never bothered to pay attention to before on a human.

  He shouldn’t have found her attractive at all, with her colorless skin and short stature. Though she was tall for a human, very few of them matched the Atlanteans in height or strength. Before now, he never paid them any attention beyond what was required of him at the moment.

  And yet, something about her niggled at the back of his mind. She’d reacted no differently than any of the other human women—even a fool would have noticed her arousal—though she’d been able to keep herself restrai
ned far better than any of the others he’d met.

  That had been a blessing. Perhaps, in time, the rest of the women would adjust to whatever it was about his presence that set them off.

  Kai claimed the seat where the woman had been moments earlier. The bench was warm, her body heat absorbed into the flat stone. Her scent lingered in the air, though it didn’t stink of the floral concoctions Atlantean women favored. No, this was more a mix of cleaning fluids and sweat. As though she’d finished a hard day’s work and was only now taking a few moments to relax, hiding away from the hustle of the rest of the city.

  He’d been the one to ruin her solitude.

  Kai, of all people, knew how hard it was to find moments like those, a chance to reset oneself in preparation of the next day. He hadn’t considered the humans would need time the same way he did. The opportunity to reset his emotional state without the interference of others, and yet be close to the rush of collective energy generated by others.

  Not many of his colleagues understood his desire to be alone in a public place. It seemed to contradict the very nature of wanting solitude.

  But she had.

  Kai frowned as he pulled his booted feet into a cross-legged position, his mass barely held by the small surface of the bench. The confusing case of the mysterious human would have to wait until a later time. Currently, he needed to meditate on the problem of the missing supplies.

  Atlas could only hold off on the information getting out into the public for so long. They needed to track down the culprit long before word spread of the investigation and the culprit got rid of the manganese and disappeared. Atlantis might be a self-contained world, but she was stubbornly large when someone wanted to hide something.

  He closed his eyes and focused on the buzz of his cybernetic implants. The doctor claimed it was impossible for Kai to hear them working, but Kai felt their vibrations and their hum. Even if it was true they were noiseless and it was nothing more than his imagination, it brought Kai peace when he concentrated on whatever it was he heard. He took a breath and let it out slowly, letting his mind empty of everything except for the missing manganese.

  Three crates were missing from a locked and monitored storage unit.

  The manganese was used primarily in the med-bay to heal injuries and illnesses. Was someone using it for medical purposes, or was there a more nefarious purpose they had yet to consider?

  Her hair was obviously very long, even with it pulled back from her face. Gods, he’d never seen eyes that color before. “Focus.” He huffed out a breath, starting over.

  They were also missing several computer units, though no one seemed to know exactly what was gone. A control panel, several measures of cable useable in any number of processes.

  She was reading a maintenance schematic and claimed she was studying. Though, what a human could possibly learn about Atlantis—

  Kai groaned, getting to his feet far faster than he should have. This space was contaminated by her presence. If he was to get work done, he had to go somewhere else. His quarters were quiet and would keep troublesome humans from getting into his space and disrupt his ability to think.

  Stepping out into the park, Kai looked around to ensure there wasn’t anyone else who’d approach him. Naturally, there was a group of Atlantean youth laughing as they enjoyed the sensual pleasures around them. Kai snorted, activating his stealth abilities before they saw him.

  There were many advantages of their cybernetic enhancements, but he had to admit that going invisible was his favorite. Without another look, he slipped quietly into the corridor and made his way back to his rooms undetected.

  A blast of cold air washed over Josie the moment she stepped into the small room allocated to her. Most of the humans had been given quarters in this section of Atlantis, partially because the units had been vacant due to the population drop and most of the Atlanteans had moved closer to the center of the city. Josie assumed it was also to keep all the humans together just in case something happened, and they wanted to segregate them.

  But that was the cynical part of her talking.

  Tonight, she was thrilled she hadn’t run into another Atlantean male on her way back. Her body was so keyed up, she didn’t think she’d survive another run-in with a pheromone-laden man.

  That was her assumption and the only thing that made sense. Overactive pheromones weren’t something she’d heard the Atlantean people possessed, but it was always possible that they were a side effect from his cybernetic implants.

  Or maybe he was just really hot, and she wanted to bone him.

  Either way, Josie knew she needed to stay as far away from Kai, head of security to Atlas, second son of Radon, as possible.

  She pulled her coat off, leaving her in her tank top and pants. It took her far longer than she would have liked to pull her boots off and strip down to her panties. Nearly naked, she was finally able to breathe, the raging lust that had consumed her moments before, slowly started to abide.

  “Okay, you clearly need to get laid.” She walked over to the bathroom and filled the basin with warm water. Washing down her face, arms, and chest relieved the rest of her arousal, or at the very least, brought it down to a manageable level.

  Kai.

  She hadn’t come across him in her month on Atlantis, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. It was a surprisingly big place to live. Multiple structures ran along the spine of the ancient ship, connected with glass corridors that let them look out into the vast darkness of the ocean beyond the protective dome.

  She had no doubt she could live here for months and still not meet even a fraction of the population. So naturally, she ran into the one dude who turned her on with his smell.

  Josie padded over to her bed and flopped down onto her back, closing her eyes the moment she stopped bouncing. It had taken her several nights to get used to the comfortable bed, far better than the thin mattress she’d called her own back on the Defiant. The lack of springs digging into her back and hips were a luxury difficult to adjust to.

  Safety and security were also things she still didn’t quite believe they had.

  Moving her hand from the bed to her stomach also felt a bit odd. Sure, she’d masturbated over the years, but back on the Defiant, there was always the chance someone was going to come in and interrupt you. Or worse, stay hidden and try to watch. That wasn’t a concern for her here, but old habits were hard to break.

  With deliberate intention, she slid her hand across her stomach, down beneath the serviceable fabric of her panties, until her fingertips brushed through the mass of curls that covered her mound. She didn’t know if Atlanteans had body hair—she hadn’t bothered to look—or what they’d think of the hair that strategically covered parts of her body. What she did know was that Kai’s hand was massive and that his fingers would easily be able to cover her mound, teasing both her clit and her pussy.

  No longer mad with desire, Josie took her time, to imagine what it would be like to crawl into bed with someone like Kai, to feel his fine scales against hers. Atlanteans were tougher than humans, but those of them with cybernetic implants had physical abilities humans didn’t possess.

  She imagined Kai would be forceful in bed. That he’d use his strength to press her down hard against her mattress, grind his cock against her leg. His mouth, and his tongue, would devour her, licking and tasting her nipple until Josie was insane with desire.

  Her fingers found her clit and, with practiced motions, she pressed and teased the sensitive flesh until her pussy heated from desire.

  This wouldn’t take long at all.

  Slick with wetness, Josie teased her clit, flicking and pressing against the nerves, until a moan escaped her mouth, filling the quiet of her room.

  With her free hand, she reached up and flicked her nipple through the thin fabric of her tank top and bra, reveling at the rough feel against her. Kai would be firm, rough. He’d press his cock into her pussy, thrusting against her until he spilled his
seed.

  Her mind threatened to get analytical—did Atlantean men have cocks like humans, or where they weirdly shaped—so she had to force her imagination to take control.

  Reality was for another day and another time.

  No, she pictured Kai’s face between her thighs, his mouth latched onto her clit as he fucked her with his tongue. He’d then switch to his hand, pressing one long finger deep inside her, curling it in the right place to press against her G-spot. Josie increased the rhythm of her hand on her body, knowing it wouldn’t take much longer to reach completion.

  She remembered the scent of Kai, that seductive fragrance that wrapped around her body and mind and took her to a place she’d never been before. With a final press against her clit, Josie’s body tightened up, a rush of pleasure exploding out in waves as she cried out into the darkness of her room.

  The high didn’t last long, leaving her hot and panting, her body sated and yet, strangely still unsatisfied. The pleasure of masturbation was never something that she’d deny herself, but more and more recently, she’d found herself wishing there was a body beside her in the bed.

  While she didn’t need a man to give her life satisfaction and meaning, she certainly wouldn’t mind sharing her life with someone.

  For once, she’d like not to feel so alone.

  Getting up, she washed up again and got ready for bed. Tomorrow was bound to be another long day, and she knew Eos wouldn’t take it easy on her. Though he might be willing to give her information on who Kai, head of security to Atlas, was within the structure of Atlantis hierarchy.

  And maybe he’d know if Kai had a mate.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “Josie, did you finish recalibrating the oxygen levels in the return tank?”

  Her back ached from having spent several hours tucked up inside a conduit that was far too small for any of her Atlantean coworkers to fit in. Despite Eos being certain she wouldn’t be able to complete the task, he relented to her insistence that she could. He’d sent her up to make the switch over, not willing to risk a breakdown before they were able to get a service drone issued to make the repairs.