Parallel Heat Read Online Free
Author: Deidre Knight
body to the depths of your soul, they all do. For eternity.
And the worst part was . . . he no longer cared.
Chapter One
Present Day—New Timeline
The entire camp smelled of sex—the musky, unmistakable scent of mating. The aroma perfumed the air, wafted throughout the main cabin and even outside onto the deck where Thea Haven stood. And as if that wasn’t annoying enough to an unattached, unmated Refarian female, Thea knew exactly who was having said sex: the one man she’d loved for her entire life. The one man she’d waited for, even when other available males within their rebel faction had come forward, suggesting a coupling with her. The one man she’d always been told she would one day marry—her cousin, the exiled king of Refaria.
Thea blew out a heavy sigh, fighting back the tears that welled in her eyes anew; Jared wasn’t just having sex with any other woman. No, he was completing his mating rites with his new wife. His human wife. And the scent of that mating burned Thea’s nostrils like hot sulfur. Gods above, sometimes she absolutely hated being an intuitive.
Perhaps if she took a snowmobile over to Base Ten, she could get some reprieve from all the swirling hormones and heat at work here in the main compound. Besides, if she took up residence in the barracks at the base, that would decrease the likelihood of bumping into the newly joined couple on a regular basis. At least for a while. Seeing Jared’s mating glow had been like a slap in the face, and she could only imagine what she’d glimpse now that their rites had been completed. As of tonight, Jared and Kelsey were forever lifemated, bonded, and married. Completely soulbound, and there was no going back from that.
Thea stepped back inside the main cabin, ignoring the soldiers whose faces turned curiously in her direction. She knew the gossip that was flying about their rebel forces; that the commander had finally taken a wife, after so many years, and that it wasn’t Thea Haven, the council’s formal choice. She also detected some of the less kind gossip about her: That if she’d been the sort of woman who could capture a mate, then perhaps the king would have claimed her as such, not gone wandering among the aliens on this godsforsaken planet to find his bride.
The gossip burned her ears and broke her heart because Jared’s soldiers would never speak ill of their king and commander. He was beloved and followed, never questioned, and he held the unerring loyalty and respect of every last soldier in his ranks. So there could only be one person to blame for such a disastrous interbreeding mistake as had occurred between Jared and Kelsey. And that one person was none other than herself, Thea Haven, the king’s cousin and once-intended bride. Her shoulders alone bore the blame, and she felt the weight of that unspoken accusation in every gaze that turned upon her as she strode through the cabin toward her quarters, even from all her own subordinate officers. Her rank in the Refarian army no longer mattered, however, for as of today she had been unofficially reclassed and reassigned.
Quite simply, she was now the woman who had failed to win the king’s heart.
‘‘You can’t stay over there on a permanent basis.’’ Scott Dillon scowled at her. Thea was central intelligence advisor over Jared’s entire army, and Scott was military commander, Jared’s second in command.
‘‘Look, it’s just for a while.’’ She pitched her uniform, other casual clothes, and some underwear into her bag. Scott watched the belongings accumulate, never commenting on the intimate articles. She continued: ‘‘I can’t deal with being around the two of them, not yet. Seeing them all the time, breakfast, lunch, dinner . . . it’s too much.’’
‘‘You can’t deal with it?’’ Scott’s tone was sharp, corrective. He was her superior officer in every way, and his arch reply underscored that fact. ‘‘They are your king and queen and
And the worst part was . . . he no longer cared.
Chapter One
Present Day—New Timeline
The entire camp smelled of sex—the musky, unmistakable scent of mating. The aroma perfumed the air, wafted throughout the main cabin and even outside onto the deck where Thea Haven stood. And as if that wasn’t annoying enough to an unattached, unmated Refarian female, Thea knew exactly who was having said sex: the one man she’d loved for her entire life. The one man she’d waited for, even when other available males within their rebel faction had come forward, suggesting a coupling with her. The one man she’d always been told she would one day marry—her cousin, the exiled king of Refaria.
Thea blew out a heavy sigh, fighting back the tears that welled in her eyes anew; Jared wasn’t just having sex with any other woman. No, he was completing his mating rites with his new wife. His human wife. And the scent of that mating burned Thea’s nostrils like hot sulfur. Gods above, sometimes she absolutely hated being an intuitive.
Perhaps if she took a snowmobile over to Base Ten, she could get some reprieve from all the swirling hormones and heat at work here in the main compound. Besides, if she took up residence in the barracks at the base, that would decrease the likelihood of bumping into the newly joined couple on a regular basis. At least for a while. Seeing Jared’s mating glow had been like a slap in the face, and she could only imagine what she’d glimpse now that their rites had been completed. As of tonight, Jared and Kelsey were forever lifemated, bonded, and married. Completely soulbound, and there was no going back from that.
Thea stepped back inside the main cabin, ignoring the soldiers whose faces turned curiously in her direction. She knew the gossip that was flying about their rebel forces; that the commander had finally taken a wife, after so many years, and that it wasn’t Thea Haven, the council’s formal choice. She also detected some of the less kind gossip about her: That if she’d been the sort of woman who could capture a mate, then perhaps the king would have claimed her as such, not gone wandering among the aliens on this godsforsaken planet to find his bride.
The gossip burned her ears and broke her heart because Jared’s soldiers would never speak ill of their king and commander. He was beloved and followed, never questioned, and he held the unerring loyalty and respect of every last soldier in his ranks. So there could only be one person to blame for such a disastrous interbreeding mistake as had occurred between Jared and Kelsey. And that one person was none other than herself, Thea Haven, the king’s cousin and once-intended bride. Her shoulders alone bore the blame, and she felt the weight of that unspoken accusation in every gaze that turned upon her as she strode through the cabin toward her quarters, even from all her own subordinate officers. Her rank in the Refarian army no longer mattered, however, for as of today she had been unofficially reclassed and reassigned.
Quite simply, she was now the woman who had failed to win the king’s heart.
‘‘You can’t stay over there on a permanent basis.’’ Scott Dillon scowled at her. Thea was central intelligence advisor over Jared’s entire army, and Scott was military commander, Jared’s second in command.
‘‘Look, it’s just for a while.’’ She pitched her uniform, other casual clothes, and some underwear into her bag. Scott watched the belongings accumulate, never commenting on the intimate articles. She continued: ‘‘I can’t deal with being around the two of them, not yet. Seeing them all the time, breakfast, lunch, dinner . . . it’s too much.’’
‘‘You can’t deal with it?’’ Scott’s tone was sharp, corrective. He was her superior officer in every way, and his arch reply underscored that fact. ‘‘They are your king and queen and
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