Freeing Luka: The Clecanian Series Book 2 by Victoria Aveline (readict books TXT) 📕

Ever the realist, he’d chosen to enter into the field of research most likely to result in the salvation of his species. He’d decided the science behind procreation, infertility, and animal mating would be his area of expertise.

Many of his colleagues devoted their time and effort to researching matehood, rather than fertility, feeling as though that was the answer to their problems. Luka, however, had always been one to think to the future. Without sufficient evidence to the contrary, he’d concluded their species must’ve evolved past matehood. Mating should be viewed as an immovable thing of the past, so as not to muddle the progressive science of today.

Yet, there she was. His mate, Alice.

Beyond all reason, the universe had given her to him, and what had he done? Based on Izzo’s retelling, he’d captured her, taken her away, and ravished her. His neck heated with shame just thinking about it.

He crept forward through the brush to get a better view. A few days ago, when he could no longer stand the nagging pull that’d been present in him since he’d woken up, and while his brothers had been preoccupied, he’d allowed his mating instinct to direct him to these woods, the closest he could get to her without crossing Pearl Lake.

He’d scarcely blinked when he’d first seen her, laughing with the other women in their shared home, worried if he took his eyes off her for even a second, she’d be gone. The home she’d been living in at first was far away from the shore, and he could only see the patio and part of the kitchen, but yesterday, as if drawn closer to him by an unknown force, she’d moved to the house that jutted closest to where he sat every day. Had it been the bond or dumb luck that’d made her pick that house?

He felt a perverse pleasure watching her like this. Whenever a sense of satisfaction at being near her came over him, guilt immediately followed. Opposing feelings weren’t something new to Luka. From stories his brothers had told him, he knew they felt the same.

His mother, a full Traxian female, had shamed her clan and family by seeking aid from the Clecanians and marrying a Lignas male. 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.

His sister, Asivva, seemed to be unaffected by her Traxian blood, but he and his brothers had struggled their whole lives to contain and repress that side of themselves. That side called for blood whenever there was a simple argument, or wanted to fuck when they should be making love. The brutality and possessiveness that was a biological trait of his people had always caused his family nothing but trouble in the civilized city of Tremanta.

Now, the Clecanian part of him urged him to leave. He knew watching her while she was unaware was wrong, but the Traxian side of him whispered reassurances that stalking his mate was acceptable because she was his. How else could he ensure her safety?

Even now, the urge to not simply dive into the bilom-infested waters and swim through their painful stinging to get to her was a battle.

Luka squatted down, ripping at the soft moss covering the ground. He’d tried to learn as much as possible about her since waking, but his brothers had been pretty useless. Since Izzo was the only one she’d spoken to, Luka had made him recount his interaction with her a multitude of times.

Observing her had told him more than any of his other research had. He’d seen that she was kind and caring toward the females she’d lived with. The ones she’d rescued that night. Pride swelled in him. His mate was brave. She’d saved them all that night.

Compassion was another virtue he’d witnessed from his dark hiding place. On a few occasions, he’d seen her console a dark-haired female with a tenderness most Clecanians kept hidden.

And she was intelligent, often approaching the unknown with a scientific curiosity that called to his own. As far as he knew, no one had shown them how to use the technology in their home. While it irked him to think of the ineffectual way in which they were settling new humans into their world, he marveled at how easily she was able to figure out things he assumed must be brand new to her.

Watching her discover the food synthesizer, for one, had been a treat. She’d examined the small machine with her eyes and hands before finally testing a few controls. She must’ve tried and failed fifty times before finally working out how to use the machine. But she’d never given up, and the smile that had lit up her face when she’d successfully prepared her first dish had made his breath catch in his throat. He’d kill for her to smile at him like that.

Every day, he wracked his brain, trying to remember their time together, but very little of what he recalled made sense to him. She was the clearest in his dreams, yet he couldn’t accept those as real memories. They were too good to be true.

The one he’d had last night had him groaning awake, taking his shaft in hand, and finding release with only a few swift strokes. In the dream, she’d run her hands all over his arms and chest, massaging him before finally pressing her body to his in an embrace and whispering unrecognizable words into his ear.

He knew the dream had to be a fantasy because no female in that situation would ever touch a crazed, aroused male so tenderly.

He watched as she activated her hand clock and squinted at the numerals. It was odd for a person who didn’t need a clock to have