Tempting Tempest: Genetically Altered Humans, #11

By Rena Marks

Many months ago, they agreed to a purely sexual relationship. Of course, that was before she accidentally killed him.

 

Tempest can't allow herself to fall for a human, no matter how scrumptious he may be. Her trainer, Shawn, is the only one who manages to tempt that rule. She's sure it's guilt over the stabbing, compounded by the fact that he's the sexiest man in Xenia. Unfortunately, he's human and therefore...weak. She can't fall for someone she may lose.

 

Everyone is aware that Tempest is perhaps the most damaging—and damaged—Xeno Sapien there is. Coveted for her beauty, her body was a prize for others to battle over. Being abused taught her to protect herself by hurting others—and herself.

It's Shawn's job to teach her otherwise. His job to teach her she can be loved. Because there's no one else he loves more than her.

 

* The story behind the series: When futuristic Earth finds alien DNA and creates a new species of hybrids in hidden labs, Dr. Robyn Saraven helps the "creatures" escape. She uses her connections to establish their own city on Earth-Ground where they can learn, grow, and avoid the corruption and greed that created them. *

 

Each book can be read as a standalone, but will be richer if read in order.

 

Other books in the Genetically Altered Humans Series:

Book 1—Xeno Sapiens
Book 2—Earth-Ground
Book 3—Siren
Book 4—Beast's Beauty
Book 5—Almost Human
Book 6—Forbidden Touches
Book 7—Coveting Ava
Book 8—For Everly
Book 9—Assassin's Mate
Book 10—Sextet
Book 11—Tempting Tempest
Book 12—Falling For Trance  
Book 13—Damaged Goods
Book 14—Alien's Bride
Book 15—Dual Lives
Book 16—Reson's Lesson
Book 17—A Mate For Max

Book 18—Dragon's Mate

Book 19—Fated

 

"I have to admit that I love this series. I don't know how the author does it but time and time again I am riveted."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rena Marks
• Release date: Nov 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393547945

Rena Marks

Welcome to my Worlds! Rena Marks is a bestselling author with over eighty-five novels under her belt. She combines her love of science fiction with paranormal romance because no matter what happens in real life, a happy-ever-after never disappoints. Come get lost in my worlds for a few hours!

Book preview

TEMPTING

TEMPEST

A XENO SAPIENS NOVEL

The Genetically Altered Humans

Book 11

Rena Marks

Tempting Tempest

A Xeno Sapiens Novel

Rena Marks

Many months ago, they agreed to a purely sexual relationship. Of course, that was before she accidentally killed him.

Tempest can’t allow herself to fall for a human, no matter how scrumptious he may be. Her trainer, Shawn, is the only one who manages to tempt that rule. She’s sure it’s guilt over the stabbing, compounded by the fact that he’s the sexiest man in Xenia.

Everyone is aware that Tempest is perhaps the most damaging—and damaged—Xeno Sapien there is. Coveted for her beauty, her body was a prize for others to battle over. Being abused taught her to protect herself by hurting others—and herself.

It’s Shawn’s job to teach her otherwise. His job to teach her she can be loved. Because there’s no one else he loves more than her.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Epilogue

Falling For Trance

Owned By The Orc

Saved By The Orc

Bought By The Orc

Matched To The Monster

Maddie Mine

My Alien Baby

Space Babies

Xeno Sapiens

Blue Barbarian Series

Alien Stolen

Khane

How My Jingleballs Saved Christmas

Zearn

Merry Monsters

Chapter One

TEMPEST GASPED AND TRIED to pull herself from the darkness. But it felt like she waded through cotton, unable to rouse. Unable to differentiate between wake and sleep.

So the dream continued on.

Shawn, his eyes frozen straight ahead, his skin rapidly cooling as she sobbed. As she shook him, pleaded with him to wake. But he wouldn’t wake because Tempest knew what death looked like.

She knew what Shawn’s death looked like.

And this was it. This had happened. It was a dream... and it was a dreadful memory. And like a broken record, it replayed.

Lily, her personality snapped back into that of a child, brimming with jealousy as she taunted Tempest. Jealous, even though Lily had the attention of Jason, it wasn’t enough. She wanted Shawn, too. Once the guys had left the sparring ring for an emergency at the gates, she tried to pick a fight with Tempest, even though it was Tempest that used to protect Lily from the pedophiles in the lab when she was a teenage child in captivity. Tempest tried to ignore her childish words, so Lily grew angry and her skin began to glow with her newfound siren powers.

You’re a spoiled brat, Tempest snapped. Stop it. You’ll hurt everyone here with this unnatural glow. Control it! She grabbed Lily’s upper arms, holding her against her like a wayward child, hoping against hope Lily would snap back into the adult she should have been. But then, Lily flung Tempest backward, smacking against the cage of the gladiator pit and the fight was on. With a snarl, Tempest jumped up and backhanded her, flinging her further into the pit.

That was a shock. It was the first time Tempest herself had ever struck Lily. No, in the past, Tempest had allowed herself to be struck by many men—just to spare the young Lily. Both women froze as they faced off.

No one wants you, Lily whispered, her voice cold. Not Jason. Not Beast. Not any Xeno Sapien. Not any human.

Beast. Lily knew just how to hurt her by bringing up his name. Beast had been forced to rape her by their captives—but they’d laughed when he couldn’t get hard and had given him an injection. Most of the other Xeno Sapiens didn’t have this recollection of memory, but Lily obviously did.

But it was the human that got her. Somehow, Lily knew of her interest in Shawn. I don’t want or need anyone. But Tempest’s voice was shaky, wondering what else Lily remembered.  

And no one needs you.

And then the guys magically appeared, getting in the way of the fight. Jason and Shawn, returning to harm’s way.

With a blast of energy, Lily pushed past Jason’s arm, shoving Tempest backward into Shawn, the muscular bodybuilder behind her.

What happened next wasn’t of her planning, but it was exactly what Shawn had been training her not to do. Tempest’s bones broke of their own accord, using her anger at Lily as fuel. Unfortunately, Shawn was her mattress, breaking her fall with his soft human tissue.

He fell with an oomph, Tempest on top of him.

Shawn! Tempest screamed, pulling away from him to turn. The pain was excruciating as her bones pulled from his body with a slurp, like blades being unsheathed.

Shawn! Jason yelled it at the same time she did. But Shawn was unconscious, his eyes open and staring straight ahead.

Not unconscious. Dead.

One bone shard had pulled from his heart.

Dead.

No! No! No! Tempest howled.

Jason was screaming into his communicator and now that Lily was distracted, the other Xeno Sapiens were up, pulling out of their frozen state where her powers had gripped them as they sat on the benches around the gladiator stands, watching in horrified silence.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion for everyone else. But for Tempest, time had stopped. At that moment, too late, she realized she loved Shawn.

At that moment, she turned that love off.

Shawn. The one human she vowed to protect. The same human she’d once slaughtered all those months ago. That was the only reason why her heart sang when he called. When he looked at her. When he called her name. But no more. She’d kept him at arm’s distance since he’d recovered in Medbay.

Like now, as they faced each other in the gladiator pits. Fine dust wafted up from where they kicked their feet, mixing with the sweat on their skin. Rolling in the dirt required hot water to wash all the grime off afterward.

Tempest. Come on, my pretty. Focus.

Hmmph. If any other male called her something as frivolous as my pretty, she’d jab them in the throat. But when Shawn said it—something melted inside. It was never a sleazy innuendo, never an enticement—it was different. But she couldn’t figure out why.  

Her chest felt tight because she kept holding her breath, which was wrong, she knew. She was supposed to breathe deeply during sparring. But she couldn’t help it. Fear gripped her heart with icy fingers and wouldn’t let go.

What if?

What if she couldn’t control it?

What if she tripped and he was behind her to catch her fall? Her heart thumped harder, against the painful spot in her chest where she couldn’t quite suck in enough air.

Her sparring showed the effects as her fists slowed.

Shawn had no mercy for Tempest, flinging her against the wall and pummeling her, yelling at her to remember her training. Her muscles ached and her temper flared—but she felt impotent. She grew angrier by each growing minute but didn’t hit back. She couldn’t. Instead, she flipped herself away from him and jabbed back lightly. She didn’t seem like she was trying—because it took a lot of energy to fake. And she was wiped out from the ass-kicking he gave her.

But if it went on much longer—she’d either have a panic attack or else she’d hurt him. She had to get away.

Finally, he flung her to the ground. She lay there, wiped, heaving breath as she stared up at him. Then he did the unthinkable. He dropped himself right on top of her, his large, muscled body covering hers.

She gasped at the added weight. His scent teased her nostrils, and she craved the intimate contact between them. Like she had once before. But she thrust that thought away.

Because now, at this very moment, she had zero control left. He had to get away.

SHAWN:

Shawn had Tempest where he wanted her. Everyone else around them grew quiet. In any other scenario, this might be construed as a tad bit... sexual.

But with him and Tempest? There was much more to this than sex.

This was the position she avoided—their bodies mashed up against each other. Because this was how he had died.

The last time their bodies had been this close, Tempest’s bones broke through her skin and pierced his vital organs. Not purposely, of course. But because she had lost control. And control was something he aimed to teach her.

Get off, Shawn. Get off! She squirmed underneath him.

No.

She froze. No?

No.

Someone get him off me! She yelled out for the others in the pits but everyone looked the other way. No one would come between Tempest and her trainer.

No one. No one came running to his aid because no one believed he would be harmed... but her.

Get him off! She screamed. He could get hurt!

And there it was. All these months later, he finally broke her.

Control, my pretty. No one else could hear the words he whispered softly into her ear.

Her body froze under his, her luscious form still tempting despite her obvious terror.

He continued to whisper. Control isn’t about shutting down your emotions, Tempest. Control is about owning your feelings.

What feelings? she whispered. Her eyes were large. Her arms were stretched high over her head, his arms directly on top of hers. That meant there was no defense between them. Not even his arms kept the weight of him off her body. She was strong. He knew she could take his weight.

I get too heavy for you, you let me know, he whispered. I’ll flip us so you’re on top.

No, she squirmed, a note of panic in her sweet voice.

Shh, he whispered. You’re not going to relive my death by being on bottom. Just relax. Feel me.

For once, she did as he requested. It felt like long minutes stretched with her delectable soft body under his. And then, slowly, he pulled his hands down her arms, feeling every inch of skin for the heat that would signify an oncoming break of bone.

She whimpered. Don’t, Shawn.

Don’t what, my pretty? He loved being able to whisper into her ear. To call her endearments when no one else knew but the two of them.

Don’t flip us over.

She wasn’t ready for that. It was okay.

I won’t.

You promise?

Of course.

He lowered his arms and braced them on either side of her body, holding the bulk of his weight from her so she could breathe. Her arms continued to stretch over her head. He allowed them to remain like this, staring into each other’s eyes, for long minutes.

Wrap your arms around me, Tempest.

No, I—

Do it. There were no choices for refusal when he was her trainer and she was his trainee.

She wrapped her arms loosely around him.

The tighter you hold, the less likely I am to flip us, he said. Because a sudden flip could smash your arms under me.

He felt like an ass going back on his promise, but damn if he didn’t have her where he wanted her. He could make her hold on. He could pretend she wanted to. She complied, hugging him tighter and he fought to hold back a groan.

This is weird, she whispered. People are staring.

Not overtly, he whispered back. They’re at least pretending to look the other way.

Get off now. You proved your point.

Yes, I did. Now I have another to prove so you just hold still.

What point is that? Even through the tumultuous threads of her thoughts, her curiosity levels were raised. That was one thing he could always count on with Tempest.

That I had some more memories come to me from the time before my death.

By the way she froze, he knew she realized what memories he referred to.

Why didn’t you tell me, my pretty?

Tell you what? she snarled.

He leaned to whisper into the dainty, feminine shell of her ear. That you and I agreed to fuck each other senseless?

Because it was a stupid idea and I realized it when you were so weak as to die on me, she said, flipping them over on her own. Before he could catch her, she was on her feet and stomping off, leaving him heaving while flat on his back.

For a few precious moments, he watched her walk away. The length of her legs. The sweet curve of her ass. He barely noticed anyone’s approach.

Left you high and dry? Well, that’s embarrassing, Jason said, holding out a hand to help him to his feet.

High and dry? Nah, Shawn