Free Initiation (Xylon Warriors 1) by Ruth D. Kerce

he knew they had very special, sexual needs. He refused to let another man fulfill those needs for Alexa. He considered her to be his and his alone now. Leila was right. This ceremony should be a commitment. For him and Alexa, that’s exactly what it would be.
    A thought struck him. And it made sense. Laszlo somehow knew. That’s the reason the man chose him to research and track Alexa. It would be too much of a coincidence otherwise, and he’d never much believed in coincidences—not of this magnitude. With his own latent super breeder genes, he and Alexa could produce more powerful Warriors than Xylon had seen in generations. Plus the odds of passing on the super breeder genes to at least one of their children were quite high.
    As soon as he could, he was going to set-up a meeting with Laszlo and get things settled. Given the circumstances, The Council would surely revise their decision and officially allow Alexa to be his .
    He started toward the bedroom. “Stick around, you two, okay? And try not to kill each other.”
    Erik grunted.
    Without bothering to knock, Braden opened the door and stepped inside the bedroom. He stopped short. Kam was holding Alexa in his arms. Her face rested against his friend’s chest, and her eyes were half-closed. Kam caressed her hair, and she looked totally at peace. Both blonde, both blue-eyed, both with skin tones so much alike. They looked good together. Too good. Like a perfect, freakin’ match. Jealousy shot through him, right to the core.
    Kam glanced toward the door. He gently untangled Alexa from his arms. “It’s not how it looks, Braden.”
    “Oh?”
    Alexa’s gaze swung from him to Kam and back again. When he stalked forward, she met him halfway, a determined look on her face. She pushed her palms flat against his chest, stopping him. “You’d better not be planning to hurt him. He was helping me.”
    “Of that I’m sure.” It took all his restraint not to grab her, toss her on the bed, strip her bare, and plunge deep into her pussy right there in front of Kam. Just to show the man that Alexa was his.
    “I’m going to join the others,” Kam said. “I’ll get us some food. None of us have eaten today.”
    “Kam?” he called.
    “Yeah?”
    “Alexa’s a super breeder. Leila tested her.” In case his friend had any ideas about making a play for Alexa, he wanted the man to know that he’d have a fight on his hands.
    Kam’s gaze drifted to Alexa, then back to Braden. One side of his mouth quirked up into a grin. “That’s great news.” After a last look in Alexa’s direction, Kam made his exit.
    Braden remained quiet until the door closed him and Alexa into the room alone. Kam’s casual response to the news confounded him. He didn’t think he’d ever understand the way that man’s mind worked.
    “Why the sudden change?” he finally asked, turning toward Alexa. She’d stepped back, but still stood close enough for him to touch if he wanted. And he definitely wanted.
    “Change?”
    She crossed her arms under her breasts. He’d seen her do that in the cemetery. Was she chilled or was that a sign of some other source of discomfort? Not fear certainly, but something else. He saw it in her eyes. He just wasn’t sure what it was.
    “Your fear is gone.” He had to state it, to be certain.
    “Not…completely. Kam just helped me go over everything. He’s very understanding. He shared secrets with me.” She stared at the closed door.
    Braden wondered at the look in her eyes. Kam had calmed her. That was obvious. But his friend had apparently also disturbed her in some way. He could see that, too, in her eyes. She wasn’t very good at hiding emotions. He didn’t like the sound of secrets though. He didn’t want her bonding with any other man through confidences he wasn’t privy to. “What secrets?”
    Her gaze returned to his, and she smiled slightly. “If I told you, they wouldn’t be secrets.”
    Jealousy warred with relief inside him. She was