Read Kyele's Passion: A World Beyond Book 4 for Free Online

surprise and confusion, he removed the holster and tossed it aside. Arak snatched it from the air. Kyele’s thigh sheath followed, his gaze never once turning away from Joni. He gripped the collar of his shirt and peeled it off next.
    Tanned skin stretched taut over a finely made form. The muscles of his abdomen contorted with his every movement and her mouth went dry. He faced her wearing nothing but black pants and boots. Dark discs encircled deep bronze male nipples. Firm ridges on his abdomen led to a thin line of dark hair disappearing below the belted waist of his pants.
    Joni swallowed and pressed her lips together. She wouldn’t let him get to her because she found him attractive. “Fine!”
    Joni braced her legs, arms out and tried to steady her breathing. Her focus zeroed in on his bare hands. “You’re really not going to keep your knife?”
    He answered in a smooth leveled voice. “I won’t need it, Earthling.”
    Earthling . His version of an endearment. Heat stained Joni’s cheeks, pride taking over as she launched for his smirking face. Kyele didn’t dodge her initial attack and the tip of steel kissed the edge of his shoulder. He slid away to the left, a trail of red left behind.
    “Kyele!” Joni stopped. Her heart sped up at causing him true harm. The others never let her get close enough to sustain a wound.
    Kyele ignored her cry and swiped his leg out, throwing her off balance. Joni recovered with an awkward hop-skip.
    “Are you going to cry when you injure your enemy?” The taunt held an edge of anger as he circled her.
    What was wrong with him? It didn’t help that his torso rippled as he twisted about, her eyes continually drawn to the flex and pull of his physique.
    “Stab him.”
    “Gut him, Joni!”
    The men in the room yelled and whistled encouragement. Kyele didn’t spare them a glance but his mouth tipped in a wry gesture and his fingers curled toward her in encouragement. “Do your best, little Earthling. I won’t let you hurt me…too much.”
    The taunt worked. Joni charged, both hands gripping her blades as she whipped about fiercely. She blocked any worry of hurting him. He’d asked for this and it felt good to work out her frustrations. To let loose the rage about her circumstances and to a small extent, to release the building desire she felt for the enigmatic man across from her.
    Kyele countered her moves but gave ground with each step. Confidence overflowed and Joni feinted with her right while slashing with her left as she spun about him. Another crimson streak, this time across his chest.
    Her breath stalled. His cocky grin pissed her off so Joni kept going when he didn’t flinch. In fact, his eyes glinted with amusement. His humor cinched it. Once more she thought of the Marenians, of her imprisonment and the abuse she suffered. Anger took over, and her ears burned.
    Another slash, which Kyele didn’t try to avoid. Joni stopped, her lungs laboring, sweat gathering on her temple and dampening her arm pits. She took note of his calm demeanor as realization set in. Indignation rose. He toyed with her. At least she’d marked him. Four times by her count. The first on his shoulder followed by one across his chest and two smaller ones at his mid-section. Joni bet she’d caught him off guard with the last two.
    “More?” she asked.
    “Now, you are ready, Earthling.” He weaved on his feet, becoming a blur too fast to keep track of.
    Fingers brushed along her shoulder, another down her spine. Joni turned but Kyele moved again, shifting from some sort of mist form to solid and back again. Nothing in her training prepared her for such. “Damn it!”
    Joni did her best to keep him in her field of vision but whenever she sliced at him, he ghosted on her, the teasing notes of his chuckle low. She bent and rolled, dodging Kyele’s attempts to hit back. When he struck, the blows didn’t hurt. He applied just enough pressure to warn she’d been hit then backed off to