And throughout their delicious meal, Mia learned all about her lover’s role on the Krinar Council, his passion for technological design, and the fact that he was much older than she could’ve ever imagined. As they talked, Mia could feel herself falling deeper and deeper under his spell, wanting to give in to the temptation of his smile, his touch, the warmth in his gaze as he looked at her. He was a beautiful and fascinating man, and she couldn’t help envying that girl who had been her – the one who’d known him from the beginning, the one he seemed to love.
Memory or not, she could see why she had fallen for him – and she could easily envision history repeating itself.
Chapter 10
Korum watched her animated face over lunch, loving the shy, yet admiring glances she directed his way during their conversation. The attraction between them was as strong as ever, and he had no doubt he would be able to seduce her again. Perhaps even tonight – though she might not be ready for that.
For once, Korum was determined not to pressure Mia into his bed. When they’d first met, the strength of his desire for her had caught him off-guard, causing him to act in ways he would’ve normally condemned. He didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes, no matter how much his cock insisted that she was his – that she belonged to him and he had the right to take her, to pleasure her, whenever he chose. Graphic sexual images danced in his head as he watched her enjoying her meal, imagining her soft little mouth nibbling on his flesh instead of the piece of fruit she was consuming.
It didn’t help that he was still on an adrenaline high after Loris’s attack. Fighting often boosted his already strong libido, the increased aggression translating into a primitive urge to fuck. It was always that way with Krinar men – and human ones too, as far as he knew. Violence and sex had been intertwined since the beginning of time, both appealing to the same male drive to dominate and conquer.
But no matter how much his body demanded it, Korum didn’t want to push her. She seemed to be responding so well to the entire situation, looking at him with curiosity and desire instead of fear. If he could just be patient, she would come to him herself, lured by the same need that crawled under his skin.
So, as the lunch went on, Korum kept a tight leash on himself, not even touching Mia in case his good intentions flew out the window. He told her more about the nanocytes in her body and showed her some of the capabilities of Krinar technology, creating a silver cup using nanos and then dissolving it the same way. He also explained about her internship and how she had already begun to contribute to the Krinar society, enjoying the way her eyes lit up with excitement at the thought.
Toward the end, as they were finishing dessert – a platter of freshly cut mango with pistachio sauce – Korum noticed that Mia seemed a little nervous, as though there was something on her mind. Unable to resist any longer, he reached across the table and took her hand, massaging her palm lightly with his thumb.
“Is there something you’d like to ask me, my sweet?” he said, smiling, watching as a pretty blush crept across her cheeks.
“Um, maybe . . .” The color on her face intensified. “Okay, you’re probably going to laugh at me, but I just have to know . . .” She swallowed. “Is there any truth to the rumors that you guys drink blood?”
At her innocently provocative question, Korum almost groaned, his cock instantly hardening to the point of pain. She didn’t know, of course, that human blood and sexual pleasure were inseparable in the mind of a modern Krinar – and that bringing up the topic like that was the equivalent of asking a Krinar to fuck you. Even the most amazing sex paled in comparison to the ecstasy of the combined act of blood-drinking and intercourse.
“There is some truth to them,” Korum said carefully, glad that she couldn’t
see his raging hard-on. “It was once necessary for our survival, but it’s not any longer.” And trying to suppress his overwhelming need to take her, he went through the complicated story of Krinar evolution and the seeding of the human race.
“So now you drink blood for pleasure?” Mia asked, staring at him with a shocked, yet intrigued expression on her face.
“Yes.” Korum hoped she would drop the topic before he completely lost it.
She didn’t. Instead, she looked at him, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright with curiosity and something more. “Did you –” she stopped to moisten her lips, “– did you ever take my blood?”
Korum thought he might literally explode. Something of what he was feeling must’ve shown on his face because she gulped nervously and pulled her hand out of his grasp. Smart girl.
There was a moment of awkward silence, and then she asked hesitantly, “Why do your eyes do that? Turn more golden, I mean . . . Is that a Krinar thing?”
Korum took a deep, calming breath. When he was reasonably certain he wasn’t going to pounce on her, he replied, “No, it’s just a weird generic quirk. It’s most common among people from my region of Krina. My mother has it too, and so did my grandfather.”
“Your grandfather?”
Korum nodded. “He was killed in a fight when my mother was about my age.”
“What about your grandmother and your other grandparents?”
“My grandmother from my mother’s side died in a freak accident when she was exploring one of the asteroids in a neighboring solar system. Some even thought it was a suicide, since my grandfather was killed only a few years before that. As for my father’s parents, they dissolved their union shortly after my father’s birth – one of the very few couples to do so after having children. Apparently my grandmother wanted out, but my grandfather didn’t – and he ended up getting into an Arena challenge with the man she took as her lover. My grandfather didn’t survive, and my grandmother took her own life shortly after that, apparently too sick with guilt to go on living. It was not a happy story.”
Her eyes filled with sympathy. “Oh, I’m sorry –”
“It’s all right, my sweet. It happened before I was even born. It’s unfortunate, but death is a tragedy that happens to everyone at one point or another. Humans might view us as immortal because we don’t age, but we are still living beings – and we can still be killed, no matter how advanced our technology is or how fast we heal. That’s why the Elders are so revered in our society: because it’s nearly impossible to live that long without meeting with one deadly accident or another.”
“You’ve mentioned these Elders before.” Mia was clearly fascinated. “Who are they? Do they rule Krina?”
“No.” Korum shook his head. “They don’t rule in the sense of being involved in politics or anything like that. That’s what the Council is for: to deal with ongoing matters. The Elders provide guidance and set direction for our species as a whole.”
“Oh, I see.” She looked thoughtful for a second. “So how old are they?”
“I believe the youngest is just over a million Earth years,” Korum said, smiling at the look of wonder on her face. “And the oldest is somewhere around ten million.”