Hunting Faith (The Hunting Series Book 1) Page 3

  I lean in closer to her and she matches my posture. Any onlooker in the bar might think we are old friends…or perhaps lovers. “I do not know The Cat, but I’d love to hear more about your world. And please, call me Rylan.”

  She huffs out a little laugh. “I’m from a place called Earth. Ever heard of it?”

  “No, I haven’t.”

  “That’s too bad,” she says. Her tone suddenly sounds a little flatter and she looks down at her drink. I wonder if I touched on a sore subject.

  “How about you tell me more about you instead. I don’t even know your name.”

  Her smile brightens again, but she takes her time responding. With her head inclined to one side, she studies my face as if considering what to tell me. “My name’s Faith,” she finally says with a shrug. “And while I hate to disappoint you, Rylan, there’s really not much to me.”

  “Somehow I doubt that. You have been a great mystery to me all night.”

  She laughs at my words and the sound is warm and sensual, something I could fall in love with. “Great mystery? Don’t you mean great villain? Have you already forgotten how we met?”

  “How could I ever forget such an exciting introduction?” I question.

  “I think I must have caused some damage when I hit you,” she teases. “You probably should get that checked out.”

  “Not at all,” I assure her. “You are undoubtedly a mystery though. Even with a head injury I can’t stop the questions from flowing through my mind… Who are you? What were you hiding from? Are you in danger…” With her brows raised, she nods attentively to all my questions, but makes no attempt to answer any of them, so I continue. “Are all the females of Earth as hauntingly beautiful?”

  She snorts out a laugh at that last question and finishes her drink. I raise my hand to the bartender, who still watches Faith shamelessly. He hurries over, filling our drinks and leaving the bottle with us. He lingers though, sniffing the air around my female. So I growl roughly in his direction, causing him to scurry off. Faith’s smile broadens at my display of protectiveness and my chest swells with pride.

  “Where was I? Ah yes, beauty,” I say, and though she rolls her eyes, her smile remains. “Beauty is important of course, but more importantly, I must know Faith…” I reach across the short distance between us and take her small talon-less hand in mine. I’m pleased when she doesn’t resist my touch. “Are you funny?”

  An authentic laugh escapes her and she swats my hand away playfully. “Am I funny?” she repeats. It is as if she thinks she might have heard me wrong.

  “It is obviously the most important question,” I assure her.

  “And why is that?” She leans in close to me, awaiting my answer, and I see her smile is so true that it reaches into the depths of her dark eyes.

  “Beauty is pleasant, but finding reasons to laugh together trumps that, don’t you think?” I ask, a little more seriously this time.

  “I certainly can’t argue with it, which is saying something, because I love to argue.”

  “I think you might be the female of my dreams,” I tell her, pulling both her hands into mine.

  She gingerly plays with the sharpness of my talons, tracing them with her delicate fingertips. “Why’s that?” she laughs, still game with this insane flirtation we have going.

  “My father always told me to find a crazy one. Said she’d keep me on my toes and make life worth living.”

  “Oh, I’m the crazy one?” That laugh of hers is throaty, and I feel my cock twitch along with its melody. “You’re the one hitting on a girl who only a few short hours ago knocked you out and robbed you.”

  “If fate opens a door, who am I to shut it?” I shrug, pulling one pink hand to my lips and pressing a kiss to her fingertips.

  “Sorry to break it to you, stud, I’m not looking for love, but I am looking for a ride. Where are you headed?”

  “No place I can bring a companion unfortunately, no matter how beautiful—or funny—you might be,” I tell her, with no small amount of regret. “If you can wait a few days. Three, perhaps four? I can come back this way and take you where you need to go,” I offer, feeling hopeful.

  She rolls her eyes and tugs her hands away from mine. Immediately I miss her gentle touch. “Sorry, I don’t have time to wait around for anyone,” she tells me before eyeing me appreciatively from head to toe. “Your loss,” she adds with a wry smile.

  “I’m sure it is,” I agree.

  Chapter 5

  Faith

  Sometimes a girl just gets lucky. There I was, sitting in this crummy little bar, waiting for a sucker to approach and in comes the sexy alien I knocked out earlier in the evening. For a split second my heart stopped and I wondered if I was going to have to make a run for it, but then the guy’s eyes lit up like Fourth of July. When I gave him my best “come hither” stare he didn’t hesitate for a second. He even brought me a drink. I wanted to shake my head at the absurdity of it all. I mean, what…did he want to thank me for handing him his ass?

  But as our conversation blossomed, I quickly learned that playing with Rylan Graz Bregen is like playing with fire. I’m not burned yet, but damn if I can’t feel the heat.

  Usually my flirtations are simple. Some creepy crawly alien makes goo goo eyes at me and I play cute and innocent as I con them out of whatever I need. Until now though, I’ve never gone up against a hunk like Rylan. The game becomes more difficult when my mark is giving me butterflies.

  We talk and Rylan’s eyes are not only bright and laughing but also filled with promises. And when I reject his suggestion that I wait for him, I wonder if maybe it’s my loss after all.

  We stare into each other’s eyes for an endless moment and I bite at my lip in an effort to beat back the authentic smile I seem to get whenever he leans in close. Alien or not, something about him feels sort of…normal. Sure, I’m lost in space, thousands of light years from Earth, an outlaw hiding in plain sight on a brothel space station, but Rylan is making me feel like the carefree girl I was before my abduction.

  I’ve had to be this hardened version of myself for so long it’s surreal to stumble into this safe little bubble where I’m really flirting with a man. It’s like a weird muscle memory thing and my whole being suddenly shifts gears. I’m me again, if only for this moment, and the line between con and true connection blurs.

  “Are you in some kind of trouble?” he asks suddenly, his expression becoming serious. But before I have the chance to answer, we’re interrupted.

  “I think you are done here, Aragrandani. It is time to give someone else a turn at the female. Perhaps someone with a little more status will be able to make leeway?” someone says.

  I look up and recognize the alien’s species as Itharene. They’re a cocky and condescending bunch and I can’t say I have any fondness for them. Beyond that, I know many of them keep slaves, which is something I have no sympathy for at all. I try to level the guy with a look of disdain, but the creep isn’t even looking at my eyes. Nope, his gaze is fixed on my accentuated cleavage peeking through the neckline of the stolen crop top I’m wearing.

  “Leave us,” Rylan growls. The rumble coming from the fierce male sitting across from me stirs something inside of me. Something I’ve been forced to neglect for quite a while…

  “Don’t make a scene, Aragrandani. I can have you removed from this station with a single comm link,” he warns. Rylan stands, towering over the smaller alien male, dwarfing him not only in height but in the expanse of his broad chest and shoulders as well. The Itharene male seems too stupid to back away.

  “Shall I have you removed?” he threatens again, one soft-looking finger hovering over the personal comm on his wrist.

  Rage swells within me. This Itharene guy isn’t even talking to me, he hasn’t asked me if I’d like his company. He’s treating me like nothing more than one of these sex bots and frankly, I won’t stand for that shit.

  “How are you going to have him removed if you’re tak
ing a nap?” I ask the guy sweetly and he looks at my face for the first time, confusion marring his already unpleasant features.

  “A nap—” he repeats, cocking his head to the side, as if the motion alone will help him decode my meaning. He doesn’t need to worry about figuring it out now, though. He’ll find out what I meant as soon as he wakes up. I grab the half-empty bottle sitting on the table between Rylan and me and swing it at the Itharene male. It collides with his head, breaking the bottle and spilling the last of its contents everywhere. The Itharene crumbles to the ground and I hear an uproar from the other side of the bar. Looking up, I see no less than a dozen more of his kind.

  “Time to go!” I shout to Rylan, grabbing his hand. The look on his face is filled more so with an appreciative humor than it is with surprise and he wastes no time breaking into a sprint alongside me as we race from the bar with the Itharene horde tight on our heels.

  We push through the crowd outside the bar and knock into a group of perverts peering into the window of one of the brothels. There’s shouting behind us and I run harder. Then I hear the telltale beep of a comm unit, someone is calling for station security. The wimps, I think to myself. They’re giving up and calling security on us, even though they had us outnumbered 12 to two.

  “This way!” Rylan shouts, pulling me into a tight alley. He and I squeeze our way past a pipe spraying a thick mist and when I look back I see we are veiled from the street.

  “They called station security,” I warn.

  “I heard. Give me a second,” he says before pulling up a three-dimensional image on his personal comm. Rylan starts typing and swiping at the image. It only takes a few swift motions before his shoulders relax. “There,” he says. “Problem solved. I cancelled out the request.”

  “Fancy trick. Are you some kind of computer tech or programmer?” I ask, still catching my breath. I recall he was working on the bots when I first saw him.

  “That is accurate, I suppose,” he answers, and an inelegant laugh escapes me at his confirmation. “What is so funny?” he asks with a grin.

  “Can’t say I’ve ever seen a tech guy who looks like you.”

  “Oh? What do ‘tech guys’ look like on your planet?”

  “Some look more like a Makaan,” I tell him, and I can see his expression sour as he thinks of the stout and burly alien race. “Others look more like a sick Itharene, all scrawny with gray skin from sitting in front of a computer monitor for too long. But they definitely don’t look like you.”

  “Esh, better to look like a Makaan than a sickly Itharene.” He shudders.

  I lean against the wall next to him, not minding the tight space we’re squeezed into one bit. “I’m a hard pass on both.”

  “There’s worse out there. Have you ever met a Ju’tup? They’re all slime and underdeveloped limbs.”

  “Slime, huh? I’d hate to be the customer who gets a sex bot after them,” I joke.

  “Indeed. So, you frequent the brothels often then?” he asks, relaxing next to me so that our arms rest against one another. Excitement courses through me.

  “Huh? No, I didn’t mean literally—” I say quickly, blushing, but Rylan just laughs, so I roll my eyes at him, knocking my shoulder playfully against his.

  “What about you? Ever sample the goods?” I ask teasingly.

  “I have before, but I prefer the real thing. There is no replacing a willing and eager partner,” he tells me, and I think about just how true that is. I also think about how long it’s been since I’ve had the luxury of being with a man who isn’t trying to own me. Perhaps I should take advantage of the situation… I mean, it isn’t often I get this lucky. I might as well milk Rylan for what he’s worth, I think to myself. Somehow though, the thought causes a twinge of guilt to writhe in my gut. It’s an emotion I haven’t felt in a long time.

  “Do you think those guys are gone now?” I ask, shooting a glance toward the main passageway.

  “Most likely,” he answers, but makes no attempt to move, which is fine by me because I relish the warmth of his body next to mine. The only problem is, I find myself craving more of it.

  “What do you say we get out of here?” I offer without looking at him.

  “Where do you propose we go?” he asks. I can practically hear the smile on his lips.

  I hold up his station badge in reply. “I happen to have a suite in sector four.”

  “Sector four? Crazy, beautiful, and expensive taste. You are a recipe for trouble, Faith,” he teases.

  “You forgot mysterious…” I add, and he chuckles. “And funny…”

  “Believe me, I did not forget,” he says, and I venture a look up into those electric green eyes. Yup, I’ve definitely been out here for too long, because this alien is sexy as fuck.

  The real me peeks through again, and though the space between us is charged with sexual tension, I still feel the need to add, “For the record, I don’t really have expensive taste.” Maybe I did once upon a time, but now I only value things like freedom and a safe place to sleep at night. I chose sector four because it’s the safest. Authorities don’t go poking around high society hotel rooms. No, they stay near the slums and the docks.

  “Why don’t we try a little something, just for fun then?”

  “What are you proposing?” I ask.

  “How about, for tonight only of course, we both pretend we have expensive tastes? I’ve always wondered what kind of room service they offer over in sector four.”

  “That sounds like a great idea,” I tell him, smiling brightly.

  “Good, for a moment there I was worried you might hit me over the head and make a run for it.”

  “Don’t get too comfortable, Rylan, the night’s still young,” I say with a wink, and the wide smile he gives me must mirror my own. Gosh, something about this guy just makes me feel giddy.

  Rylan leads the way out of the tight alley. Once in the street, I take his arm and he stiffens for a moment, seemingly not sure what to do with my human gesture. He recovers quickly, though, and places a possessive hand over mine. His skin feels warm and his claws feel dangerous. As we walk, males shoot furtive glances in my direction, but no one cat calls me, no one gropes or challenges me and if only for the short walk to sector four, I actually let my guard down. It feels like a breath of fresh air to a drowning woman.

  Chapter 6

  Faith

  In my mind I’ve already fully committed to letting go tonight. The second we step inside the luxurious brothel suite, I expect Rylan to jump on me. Hell, I’m all revved up to jump on him. Instead, he saunters over to a view screen and gives it a swipe to activate it then starts scrolling through the room service menu. I sigh. As much as I’m hungry for sex right now, I never turn down a meal.

  “In the mood for anything in particular?” he asks.

  “I’m feeling adventurous,” I respond, and he cuts his smiling eyes to me for an exhilarating second before returning his attention to the view screen. Rapidly he makes a few selections, then alters the screen to offer music. The song he puts on isn’t like the tinny and uncoordinated sounds I’ve heard in alien music before. Something about this song is mellow and earthy and I find myself enjoying it immensely.

  Tonight is a luxury in the extreme for me. I have a nice room, food is on its way, there’s music, and a hot guy whose muscles are so tight and rippling I could wash my clothes on his abs. I plan to take full advantage of tonight, because I know better than most, good times are few and far between. Rylan makes his way to a bar and pours each of us a drink. As he works I admire the massive bed in the room, and before Rylan can even bring me my glass I’ve kicked off my boots and spread myself out across the puffy blankets.

  I inhale the scent of fresh linens, reveling in it for a moment with my eyes tightly closed. Rylan’s warm chuckle makes me peek up at him and I give him my most inviting smile, but still, he doesn’t join me on the bed. He just leans against the wall and watches me appreciatively.

  “W
here are you from Rylan?” I ask, sitting up to keep our lively conversation going.

  “A planet called Aragran. We are members of The Conglomerate.”

  “Can’t say I know much about the politics and territories of space in these parts.” I shrug. “What’s the Conglomerate?”

  Rylan frowns as he considers his answer. “It is a group of interstellar traveling species that have agreed to be allies of sorts. My people are still relatively new to the association.”

  “Are they assholes?”

  “Assholes?” he repeats, laughing at my question.

  “I mean, just judging from your tone it doesn’t seem like you have much of an appreciation for them, and you’re a nice enough guy, so I have to assume they’re a bunch of assholes. Am I wrong?”

  He scrubs his hand over his face and allows a mournful laugh escape to him. “No, I don’t think I do harbor much of an appreciation. Since the absorption of my world into The Conglomerate the Aragrandani way of life has undergone rapid changes and I can’t say I’m happy for them.” He looks over at me as if considering whether or not to go on. Taking a step closer to the bed, he reaches for me, only to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. Still, I get goosebumps at his nearness.

  “I think of the stories my parents and grandparents used to tell me. They are happy stories about finding love and starting families and I wonder if those days are gone for my people. On Aragran we no longer marry for love, only for status. That is not what I want for my sisters, nor myself,” he says, and the heated look he sends my way has me trembling.

  The door chimes, interrupting us. Room service is here and I’m halfway grateful at the intrusion. I brought Rylan here with the intention of seducing him and instead he has me feeling like a nervous schoolgirl. I shake off my nerves and jump to my feet, following him to the door. Room service turns out to be a few airborne drones who hum their way into the room, delivering platters and platters of food.