Freeing Luka (Clecanian, #2)

by Victoria Aveline

With the help of her coworker, Jen, she’d finally started to learn how to tell which men were harmless and which ones were dangerous. The drunk, handsy ones weren’t great, but the ones you really had to watch out for were the quiet, polite ones—the ones whose charming smiles never met their eyes.

There were very few things Alice was obsessive about. In most respects, she even considered herself laid back. Her house could be a mess without it frustrating her. Food could be slightly too cold. Wrinkled clothes weren’t a cause for concern. But not knowing what time it was always made her anxious. It wasn’t like she did anything with the information. She wasn’t rigidly early or constantly late. She just liked the comfort of knowing.

If there was ever a creature in more need of help and tenderness than Luka, she couldn’t imagine it. She studied him, her heart breaking more as each new injury was revealed.

He looked like he was deeply savoring this simple touch, and it made Alice’s heart squeeze painfully in her chest. After being locked up for so long, Luka probably needed a little gentleness. Surprise, followed by warmth, spread through her when she heard a rumbling purr emanate from his chest.

“I can see you’re starting to panic,” he said, holding up his hands. “But I’m part of the rescue team. I’m Izzo.” He gave a small kick to Luka’s shin. “And this idiot is my brother.”

The fear shone on her face, but Daisy lifted her hand to Izzo’s anyway. Their eyes locked as he clasped her hand in his much-larger one and shook slowly. Everyone’s eyes widened as a low purr sounded from Izzo.

A knot tightened in her stomach, then another, and another as thought after thought ran through her mind.

A grin spread over Izzo’s face. “It used to be if a person wanted to court someone, they’d try and prove their love by diving into the water and retrieving a pearl. If they weren’t stung, it was meant to be.”

Maxu finally allowed his unwavering gaze to slide down Luka’s body, settling at his wrists. Luka followed the fixed direction of Maxu’s stare and had to take a step back. Blue mating marks circled his wrists.

“Jade, you need to go sit down.” Jade continued toward Alice but rolled her eyes. “Once you have grown a person in your uterus, you are more than welcome to weigh in on what I need. Until then, I’ll be the judge.”

To the Clecanian’s knowledge, only three compatible species have existed. The Dyasque, who live on an overly populated planet galaxies away and whose females kill their partners upon successfully mating. The Ryg, who were peaceful and timid, but who’d gone extinct after their planet had been demolished by a rogue asteroid decades ago. The Traxians, from whom Luka and his siblings were descended.

Often Luka and his brothers felt their more primal Traxian sides battling to be acknowledged. While their Lignas half guided their reasoning and social skills, their Traxian half burned in them like small fires waiting for fuel.

“You’re his mate. He isn’t yours. If he doesn’t have enough sense to see how lucky he is to have found you, that’s not your problem. He needs you. You don’t need him.” He shot a glare toward Luka, then leaned in to whisper, “You tell me if he acts like a pishot, and I’ll make sure to hack into his home’s programming and make his life a living hell.”

“Matehood is revered in Tuva. Once word spreads, the chase will likely continue with renewed vigor, and I can only assume our citizens will become vicious and possessive of the human females if it is found they can be mated. In the minds of my fellow Tuvasta, mating is not something that can be controlled by laws. I fail to imagine King Yaskan putting any law into place that would keep a mated male from his female, and even if he did, none of our citizens would pay any attention to that law.”

“I agree, but communication and peaceful exchanges are our only answer. We cannot simply take what we want because we can,” the Queen said sternly.

She tied me to my sanity. Gave me a reason to keep fighting. If she never wants to see me again, I’ll understand, but I’ll never stop wanting her.”

You are my mate. And even though your human body has learned to forget how to recognize me, I am yours. Deep down, you don’t want a normal guy, and I’ll prove it. I’ll give you your space, but I won’t give up. That’s a promise, Alice.”

“There’s something endearing about a guy who makes you the center of his world. As long as he’s not trying to control you, I don’t see a problem in how you feel about him.”

Keep your guard up, but give him a chance. That’s all I’m saying.”

“My very DNA has been altered by you. I’m stronger now. Faster.” Like lightning, his hand shot out and gently gripped hers. Immediately, her heart rate sped up, and a purr rumbled through him. “Do you feel that? It’s physical. Biological. I may not know much about you, but my soul recognizes yours.” She tugged at her hand. After a moment’s hesitation, he released it. “When I’m not near you, I feel…wrong. I walk around all day, unable to concentrate. Like I’ve forgotten something but can’t recall what it is. It’s maddening.”

“Oh, and one other thing,” he said, waiting for her to meet his eyes. “You should know that right before the meeting a few days ago, Luka broke a bone in his lower leg. His fibula. He tried to ignore it so he could make it to the meeting. Walked all the way around the lake just to see you.”

It wasn’t right that he could smell whenever she was turned on. A downright dirty, unfair advantage was what it was.

Luka shrugged. “It’s been known to happen. Mating is an instinct, but we still are who we are. We still have goals and ambitions.”

He acted exactly the way she wished people would act with her, and that scared the ever-loving shit out of her.

“Okay,” she said slowly. “You can’t watch me from the woods, but you can come visit me once a week, and you can touch me, but only in the places I say are okay. Everything else is a red zone.” He raised his brows expectantly, waiting for her to continue. “You can touch my arms and hands.” “And your back and face. Also, I want to visit you every other day,” he argued. Face equals lips. One kiss, and she’d be begging him to touch her everywhere. Can’t have that, she thought quickly. “Just my back. No face. Every three days. Final offer.” “Fine,” he grunted.

Before she could lower it again, Luka snatched it, gently massaging it in his hands. Stepping closer to her, voice as smooth as silk, he said, “You are more than welcome to touch me anywhere you want.” Bringing her upturned hand to his mouth, he slowly kissed her wrist, her pulse jumping at his touch. Her sex clenched. I’ve made a terrible mistake.

Arms and hands. That’s a safe bet. How sexual could holding hands be? Idiot. When it came to Luka, Alice apparently felt every brush of his hand was sexual.

The guarsil, as he called it, was the size and color of a pomegranate, its round body covered with dark red, wiry hair.

“Cute now, but in about two months when it reaches maturity, it’ll be vicious. Their small size is deceptive. Animals will come by sniffling around a waiting guarsil, thinking it’s a fallen wanget fruit. When they get close enough, all the pack members attack. They’ve brought down animals a hundred times their size.” Like some kind of terrifying out-of-water piranha. Alice leaned away from the creature and glanced around.

“I study the mating habits of different animals to see whether there are any noticeable patterns in their rate of reproduction and their mating practices. Do their bodies produce more of a certain chemical while in heat that could be harnessed and used in Clecanians? Does the time of year or their diet result in more or less births?

Making her come had brought him pure masculine satisfaction, but knowing that she liked who he was made him feel…so much more.

The males had also learned the importance of consent and how to harness your sexual energy and control it when no willing females were available.

A pretty pink blush spread over her cheeks, but she didn’t deny it. With a smirk, she muttered, “Cocky male.” “Is it cocky if it’s true?” he teased.

They teach the women how to hide their emotions and not lead the men on by being too affectionate in marriages.

she said all the women are so excited about the humans coming here. She complained about how she’s tired of always acting like she doesn’t care. I think most of these girls try not to feel anything because they’re taught it’s their duty to have many partners, not one, but they’d kill to say I love you to someone.”

He didn’t grin or frown, but stared at her seriously, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. “Over the last few days, I’ve grown to like you more than I thought possible, but my soul knew it loved you even when I was drowning in the void of my mind. I’m humbled you feel I’m worthy of your love.”

courting rituals, traditions, and laws were very different, but one thing was constant. Females were expected to be strong. They were taught to hold their heads high and expand the gene pool by reproducing with many.