Twelve Days of Xanthus Read online

  Table of Contents

  TWELVE DAYS OF XANTHUS

  copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  About the Author

  Trademarks Acknowledgment

  TWELVE DAYS OF XANTHUS

  SHYLA COLT

  Passion in Print Press

  www.passioninprint.com

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright 2012 by Shyla Colt

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  Published by

  Passion in Print Press, LLC

  3052 Gaines Waterport Rd.

  Albion, NY 14411

  Visit Passion in Print Press, LLC on the Internet:

  www.passioninprint.com

  Editing by Andrea Jackson

  ebook format ISBN#978-1-60820-829-6

  Issued 2012

  This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher.

  Dedication

  The man upstairs makes everything possible and I’m so grateful he continues to bestow his blessing upon me and my family. Lots of love and appreciation to my family who put up with my eccentric writer’s behavior, be it the hours I keep, talking out loud or a million other quirks. Thank you to the girls of NLL who always tell me I can, Kassanna who brought this call to my attention, and all you beautiful readers who gave this unlikely couple a shot.

  Chapter One

  Violet O’Shea pulled the goose feather down jacket closer to her petite frame and breathed in the crisp air as she stood out on the wooden deck in front of the house. The O’Shea family cabin was where she always came to get away from the stress of her job as a television screenplay writer and the demands of her large family. The setting had worked its magic. All thoughts of her job were gone and the crisp air felt invigorating. Her breath fogged and turned white. The golden orange rays of the sun washed everything a deep red, followed by a purple that morphed into the inky, velvet-blue of the night sky. Stars winked from their position above the Earth and a child-like exuberance filled her as anticipation increased her pulse and warmed her cheeks. There was always something incredibly magical about watching the Aurora Borealis, more commonly known as the Northern Lights.

  She tilted her head back and watched as the blazing, blue-violet streaks stretched across the sky, followed by bright green and ruby red. Each color appeared a bit closer to the Earth. She leaned out over the porch railing and closed her eyes. The vivid hues remained etched on the inside of her eye lids and she allowed herself a moment of frivolity. If you could wish upon a star, why not the lights? Besides, during the holidays, didn’t everyone get to make a Christmas wish? A giggle escaped. I’m being silly. A nervous flutter filled her stomach. Just make the wish, Violet. She gave into the urge, clenched her lids shut, and put her whole heart behind the request like a young child the moment before they blow out their birthday candles. Please bring me my true love.

  The silence around her thickened. She swallowed as she opened her eyes. Her gaze scanned the area around her and she let out a self-deprecating laugh as disappointment flooded in. What did you expect, crazy? A man to appear in the middle of this frozen tundra? She shook her head and turned to walk inside. The lights had lost their allure for tonight.

  A loud crack made her jump. She spun around. There was no downed tree so what made the noise? Strange white lights pulsed and grew brighter in the sky, drowning out the Northern lights. She winced. I’ve never seen this before! The illumination was too powerful for her to continue to look at, so she glanced down, grateful for the instant relief the simple act provided. Lord, don’t let me go blind up here by myself. A loud boom shook the Earth. The logs piled up in front of the cabin rattled together and fear constricted her throat. She reached out, grasped the smooth, rounded hand rail, and held on for dear life. Her body shook as loud cracks continued to fill the air. Bright flashes tattooed themselves to the back of her eyelids. This must be what it’d feel like to be trapped in the middle of a firework display.

  The shaking ceased, the ground settled, and the brightness that had assaulted her lids faded. She opened her eyes just a sliver and found everything had returned to normal. Had she dreamed the entire thing? A visual sweep of the perimeter said she might have, until a vague shape out in the distance caught her eyes. She squinted startled when she realized the shape resembled that of a human. The broad build of its shoulders and the height put the person at about six-four, which persuaded her to believe it was a man. She blinked rapidly. Had she come down with a case of snow blindness or a hallucination caused by too much work and not enough recreation? A quick hand to her forehead told her she didn’t have a fever. No dizziness or disorientation seemed present, and still the shape came closer. He was a mountain of a man with broad shoulders, chiseled abs, sculpted biceps, pecs, legs, and golden skin.

  Her mouth watered and she shook her head to clear it. This has to be a vision. Maybe a wet dream? She’d wake up any moment now in her cozy little bed and laugh at how absurd her thoughts would be. She pinched her arm.

  “Ow.” No, not a dream at all.

  The man wore two strange black cuffs around his wrists and a tiny, fur loincloth that left nothing to the imagination. He must be freezing. The reality of the situation sank in. A man three times her size and weight walked toward her at a steady clip and if his ill-equipped clothing was anything to go by, he wasn’t quite right in the head. Violet spun on her heel and bounded for the door. She flung it open, grabbed the shotgun they kept by the door in case of wild animals, turned off the safety, and placed the butt of the rifle against her shoulder. As the second oldest of a family that boasted five boys, she knew her way around a firearm.

  “Don’t come any closer!”

  The man’s eyes narrowed in what appeared to be confusion. Lined with a thick fringe of lashes and winged eyebrows, they were an impossible black. With his broad forehead and strong jaw line, he was gorgeous.

  “I am sorry, Mistress, I mean you no harm.”

  He had a strange accent that sounded like nothing she’d ever heard before.

  Mistress?

  “What are you doing out here? This is private property.” When he remained silent, she growled, “You start talking, or I’ll start shooting.”

  The man sank to his knees and bent over. His body sank into the thick snow. Her jaw dropped. There weren’t any mental hospitals nearby she’d never heard about, were there?

  “Please don’t be angry, Mistress. This is where my craft crashed. I did not know the land belonged to you.”

  She relaxed. He crashed? That would explain what brought him to such a remote location, but not the weird attire, or what she heard earlier. No car would ever make that sound and she would’ve seen the smoke from an airplane wreck. Heat spread over her body. Maybe he and his woman were into kinky sex games. He did call her mistress. Anger burned hot in her belly as another idea struck. The production staff had put him up to this.

  “Get up now!” He complied immediately.

  “Okay, Paul, Brad
. You had your laugh, now call him off and give him a blanket before he freezes to death.”

  Silence. She lowered her gun about half an inch. It’s not like he could be concealing anything. She looked him over once more. Even his feet were bare. Her gaze lingered on his loin cloth. I wonder if the anatomy the cloth covers matches his massive build. She cleared her throat, praying the cool wind would counteract the flush she felt in her face.

  “Where did you crash?”

  “Over there a ways, Mistress. If it pleases you, I’d like to join you in your… dwelling.”

  “I’m not so sure I want you that close to me.” She jerked her chin up. “Why are you dressed like that?”

  “This is the way all slaves dress on Zenton.”

  Say what?

  “I didn’t catch that.”

  “I do not understand. I didn’t throw anything.”

  Jesus I have a real life, Castiel. The quote from the television show Sanctuary popped into her head.

  “I meant, repeat what you just said.”

  “This is the way all slaves dress on Zenton.”

  “I’m not familiar with that city. Where’s it located?”

  “It’s not a city, Mistress.”

  “Then what is it and why do you keep referring to me as mistress and yourself as a slave?”

  “Because that is what I am. Zenton is a planet and Mistress is the proper title for all of the Zenths, though you are the smallest one I’ve ever seen.”

  Her head spun. Alarm bells went off and a red flag rose. She knew crazy when she heard it. He seemed harmless enough but letting her guard down didn’t sound like a good idea. He began to shiver. His teeth chattered and his skin tinged blue. If he stayed out here exposed much longer, he’d get hypothermia and die.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Xanthus.”

  “Come on up and get in the house.” She waved the gun away from him toward the open door. “Move nice and slow with your hands in front of you, and don’t try anything funny, okay? I’d hate to start the month of December off with murder.”

  He followed her directions to the letter and they made it inside the four bedroom cabin in front of a fire in five minutes flat. His shape appeared to take up a large portion of the living room as he sat down on the worn hunter green couch that turned into a pull out bed. He held his hands up toward the fire and rubbed them together.

  Now what did she do?

  “Whereabouts did you crash?”

  “About two miles away from where you saw me in the clearing.”

  “Can you tell me anything more specific? The police will need more definite directions to locate your car. Do you need an ambulance?” She squinted. “You look okay to me, but I’m not a doctor.”

  “Please do not alert the human authorities!” His eyes went wide and he stood only to hit the floor and bend over once more in the ultimate show of submission. The man’s body shook with what she could only assume was fear- no, absolute terror. It made it difficult for her to write him off. He believed his story no matter how farfetched it sounded. She might regret this later, but for now, her gut told her she needed to further investigate.

  She’d dragged a chair away from the couch, and sat with the gun leveled at him. “Get up, sit back on the couch. Now, tell me what you’re so afraid of.”

  “Capture. I do not wish to remain a slave any longer. Kala mistreats all her slaves. My time to disappear in the night, never to be heard from again approached and I found I could not allow myself to die so easily.”

  His matter of fact tone chilled her. He almost had her convinced. Except the things he said were insane.

  “I can sense your disbelief.”

  “How did you know what I was thinking?” she whispered.

  “I can’t. I only sense heightened emotions.”

  No! “If you are really an a-alien.” She stumbled over the last word. “How would you know my language?”

  “The ship equips us with a translator it embeds in our brain. I understand most of your words, but some of your phrases are very odd.”

  “Pot meet kettle.”

  “Like that one.”

  She shook her head.

  “You do not believe me?”

  “No, Xanthus, I don’t.”

  “A slave cannot lie to his mistress. I will show you my powers and you will see.”

  He closed his eyes. The TV remote floated up from the table and whizzed over to land in his upturned palm.

  Violet jumped. “How did you do that?”

  “By manipulating molecules.”

  Her body shook and she clutched her shotgun tight. This couldn’t be real. The guys from work must be setting her up. Any minute now, someone would jump out of a closet, laughing his or her ass off.

  “Do not be afraid, mistress. I only seek shelter for the next twelve days.”

  “Then what happens?” she asked.

  “Then the tracking device on my bands will be rendered ineffective.”

  He held up his arms and the fire glinted off the black bands.

  This is really happening.

  She opened her mouth to speak, and a throaty purr came out instead. Horrified by her behavior, she gasped.

  “It’s not your fault, Mistress,” Xanthus whispered, his dark eyes sad. Her anxiety skyrocketed.

  “It’s the hormones.”

  “I don’t care if you’ve got a keen sense of smell, or not, Spock. That’s rude.”

  “Not your hormones, Mistress, mine. It’s why the strongest of the Xanths are harvested to mate with the Zenths. Our glands secret something similar to what your people refer to as an aphrodisiac.”

  “This cannot be happening,” she whispered. Beads of sweat began to form on her forehead.

  “Is it hot in here to you?” she asked.

  “Please let me ease the ache, Mistress. It will only continue to worsen until I do.”

  “No, no, I’m fine.”

  She gritted her teeth and slowly counted to ten. She sat next to an alien who secreted some super scent that made her want to jump his bones. She licked her suddenly dry lips and whimpered when her nipples hardened and her breast grew heavy. Stiff points pressed against the silky material of her bra, creating a delicious sensation that spiraled through her body. A pulse began at her core and her clitoris filled with blood. She wrapped her fingers around the side of the chair and fought against the impulse to rub her thighs together. Her breath came in pants. Desire became a never ending wave that pounded her body over and over until her panties were soaked with her dew, and her body shook from the effort it took her not to move.

  “Please, Mistress. Allow me to relieve the tension. It will only become worse and I never intended to cause you pain.”

  She glanced up and fell into the deep, dark pools of his eyes. Her body felt heavy and drugged and she watched him approach her through hungry eyes. She wanted to taste every inch of his golden flesh. He pulled the shotgun from her limp fingers and set it on the ground beside her. Xanthus bent over and placed an arm on either side of her body. She inhaled, dragging his scent deep into her lungs. Her nostrils flared. He smelled like the air just before rain mixed with something exotic and mouth watering. Her hand touched the heated flesh of his chest. When had her hand moved? Violet glanced up at him and her vision blurred. She blinked and found his cheek pressed against her own. He nuzzled at her like a cat. The skin to skin contact kicked her sex drive into warp speed.

  She turned her head to the left and captured his lips with her own. Xanthus tasted sinful, full bodied, and sweet with a bite. His body tensed and he paused, his lips resting against hers without moving. Perhaps they didn’t kiss on Zenton. She thrust her tongue in between his full lips, determined to show him how kissing worked. Her hands curled and her fingers scraped along his chest. His mouth moved against hers, tentative and awkward. It was sweet in a way. For a brief moment, she wondered what the slaves did on his planet. Then he moaned and rational thought flew out th
e window when he responded. He went from shy to ravenous as he devoured her like a man lost in the dessert too long at a well. Violet had never felt passion like this. Xanthus hadn’t even touched her anywhere but her lips, and she was literally dripping. Her nectar ran from her pussy down to her upper thighs, soaking her blue jeans. They pulled apart for air and his skin once more caught her gaze. Perfection. She leaned in to lick a path around his pert nipple. The salty taste danced along her palette and she traced a slick path around his chest.

  She continued to tease him; each pass she made with her tongue moved closer and closer to his nipple but never actually touched it. His muscles tensed. Sweat formed on his skin and she made her move. She paired a swift pinch of his left nipple with a gentle bite to his right. Xanthus jerked. His face flushed and his breathing grew rough as she persisted with her tongue torture. Violet ran her hands over every inch of his body she could reach, as she learned him and his reactions.