Rhal Part 2 (Scifi Alien Serial Romance) (The Ujal) Read Online Free Page B

Faim. Rhal…”
    Lied to me. Pushed me out of his life.
    He raised his eyebrows. “You and Rhal did something and now you must do it completely or your genetic code will remain in flux.” Faim patted her hand and she snatched it away with a hiss. “ That will continue and eventually kill you.”
    “Unless?” Rhal spoke up.
    “Unless you mate. She obviously ingested—in some manner—your genetic material. It is the lack of a full dose that leaves her in this condition.”
    “It’s been ten days though,” shock had her whispering. “Shouldn’t it have happened before now?”
    Faim nodded. “Have you come in contact with the sea before today?”
    “I—” She tried to calm her racing heart. “Today is the first day I sat on the beach—”
    “But your body called to the ocean,” Faim interrupted.
    “Yes, but I was so stressed and I didn’t want to be near anything that reminded me of Rhal.”
    “Understandable.” The doctor nodded, and they both ignored Rhal’s growl. “And today?”
    “I was drinking coffee on the beach. Niax was running the morning hopefuls through the surf, and he came to say ‘hi’ and held my hand…” She thought over it again. “It was damp.”
    “With seawater. Your scales have been driving you to the waters because you did not have enough genetic material to sustain the transition. The moment you came into contact with what it desired most…” He snapped his fingers. “It struck.”
    “So, what now?”
    “Now,” Faim’s attention flicked between her and Rhal. “You mate in truth. Nothing less will alleviate your symptoms and finalize your change from human to Ujal.”
    “There’s nothing else to be done?”
    The hope in Rhal’s voice sliced through her heart, cleaving it in two.
    “There’s no other way?” she rasped and ignored the way Rhal stiffened.
    “It must—”
    “You will not mate another,” Rhal hissed and captured her face, cradling it between his palms. He forced her to meet his gaze. “If you must mate, you will mate me . I do not care if you dislike me. We are already mated. You are already mine. No other shall have what is mine. If anyone dared touch you…” His eyes sparkled red and gold. “I would kill them for the offense. I did not want to take you, but now you are mine. There is no going back, czira . There is only forward with you at my side.”
    “But, Rhal…” Her vision blurred, annoying as hell tears clouding her vision. Dammit. “You…”
    He leaned forward and brushed his lips across hers. “I would not wish myself on the prince’s worst enemy, but now that I have you, I will keep you. Even when you wish you had never whispered my name, I will not let you go. You are mine, czira . Mine forever.”
    * * *
    Rhal sought her features for a reaction to his words and found… nothing. Not happiness, not sadness, merely a blank mask.
    That knowledge reverberated in his soul and stomped on his fragile heart. He nearly snorted aloud. Him? Fragile? Never.
    Except when it came to the beautiful woman at his side. One look from her, one tear, and he was crushed.
    He slowly withdrew his attention from her, releasing his pent-up breath when he was no longer captured by her wary gaze. “How do we complete the mating?”
    Faim gave him a bland look. “You do what your bodies demand,” he gestured at them, hand waving in the space between them, “and mate .”
    He ignored Cara’s shudder and the way her lower lip trembled. He definitely ignored the evidence of her emotional fragility that trailed down her coral-hued cheek. Another slid free, following the first, and he cursed. Of course, that harsh word had his female—his mate—flinching.
    Damn him to the depths of the sea.
    “I am sorry, czira ,” he murmured and stroked her hand with a single finger. The gentle touch soothed him, and she released a soft sigh as her body relaxed as well. She may not like him, he may have crushed whatever love they shared, but she needed him.