Читать книгу Primal Heat - Crystal Jordan - Страница 9

Bren licked her lips and tried to keep her voice even. “I thought China didn’t want to join the coalition, sir.”

Arthur’s dark eyes cooled. “My efforts to convince them it’s the best thing for their citizens were successful.”

“Congratulations, sir.” Another wave of dread went through her, numbness following in its wake. She wasn’t sure what measures he’d taken to ensure their cooperation, but it would have to be extreme. China had made it very clear from the beginning they wanted to stand alone on this issue, that they wanted no part of an operation run solely at the discretion of the United States.

Who had Arthur threatened or killed to get what he wanted? She curled her fingers into tight fists, horrified she had to ask herself the question, and yet…not surprised by it at the same time. It wasn’t paranoia that had kept her up at night, and that lame excuse crumbled in the face of the unrelenting truth before her. He wasn’t the man she remembered, the man she’d respected, almost worshipped. Something had changed in the last few months. She wasn’t sure if she was just seeing it now, and it had always been there, or if it was a new development.

He still looked the part of the perfect officer and gentleman. Soldier. Hero. The kind of man who ended up with commemorative statues after he died in battle. She stifled a snort at that—as if any of them did this for the glory.

But something about that caught her, made her pause.

She focused on his face and realized that that was the difference. Since the Kith had come and Arthur had had the chance to band together the militaries of Earth to fight them, it had gone from saving the world to controlling the world. Perhaps it was the glory or just the power, but it really didn’t matter why, did it? Arthur, a man she would have sworn a year ago was a dedicated soldier to the core of his being, had lost whatever internal compass guided him. He’d crossed the line one too many times and never suffered any consequences for it. People were scared and they were desperate for the safety they had once known. The safety of ignorance.

All those people were willing to let Arthur do whatever he wanted in order to reclaim that security. They’d hand over their armies, their control, their independence, their money. Everything.

She could see in Arthur’s eyes how much he liked that. It wasn’t about safety for him anymore; it wasn’t about protection or what was good for humanity. It was about him now. His power, his control, his ability to convince people they would never be safe without him in charge.

A chill rippled down her spine, and she swallowed hard, forcing her expression to impassivity. “You have a meeting with the president at ten, sir.”

“Thank you, Preston.” Arthur continued to stare at her for a long moment, and Bren refused to give in to the urge to fidget. “Dismissed.”

She nodded and executed a quick about-face, marching out of his office and closing the door behind her. It wasn’t until there was a thick wooden barrier between him and her that she let out the breath she’d been holding.

Perching in her office chair, she logged in to her computer and just stared at the screen. Her thoughts ricocheted in her mind, unable to settle. She kept coming back to the same conclusion she had the night before. Regardless of the Sueni fleet being here or gone, this was going to be a no-win situation for Earth. Arthur, the savior of humanity, was going to make it a no-win situation. People had died, and more people were going to, if Arthur remained in command.

So what was she going to do about it?

Her hands folded tightly in her lap, her nails digging into her skin. Whatever remained of her initial numbness evaporated. Panic and terror bolted through her, made her uniform dampen with sweat.

She could do nothing. It was in her best interest to keep following orders and just…living her life. Because the army was her life. This was who she was. It was all she’d ever wanted to be.

She’d run like hell from her foster family the day she’d graduated from high school, signed on with the army, and never looked back.

She’d been lucky and she knew it. Her foster father had satisfied himself with occasionally kicking the crap out of her and the other kids and neglecting them the rest of the time. And that had been one of the better homes she’d lived in after her parents died. She was just grateful to have never had to look herself in the mirror and see the empty, hollowed-out eyes of the walking ghosts some of those foster kids had become.

Bren had known then that she would do everything she could to make sure she was never anyone’s victim ever again. She’d learn how to fight back, she’d learn how to never be weak, she’d learn how to protect people who couldn’t protect themselves. And she had. The army had given her that. A sense of purpose, of duty, of belonging to something greater than herself.

But that was the problem, that was why she couldn’t blindly follow Arthur now, because the army had given her a purpose, had made her country and its citizens more important than anything else. More than personal gain or power or prestige. She couldn’t just stand back now and do nothing when the things she lived for were threatened.

She forced herself to cold, calm calculation. Now was not the time for panic. She had to do something. There was no question left in her mind about that. This was not optional. But what could she do? Who could she ask for help? Who could she trust? Conspiring against the most powerful man on the planet had gotten people far more influential than her killed. Who would be willing to step out of line to protect everyone from Arthur?

A flash of Farid’s face entered her mind. She dismissed it, but then paused.

If Arthur was the enemy, then was the enemy of her enemy someone she could turn to? Farid hated Arthur, of that she had no doubt. He’d love some retribution for the preemptive strike against the Sueni armada. If she gave him the chance to exact his revenge, would it save the planet or make the situation worse?

There was only one way to find out, but she couldn’t call him just to ask. No, this meeting would have to be private and it would have to be in person. She closed her eyes and sighed. Pulling her cell phone out of her purse, she opened up an encrypted email and composed a new message that would somehow interface with the Sueni ships. Her lips twisted. Apparently, they’d been able to dumb down their communication system to get the most advanced Earth technology to play well with them.

Lord Arj—

No, that wasn’t right. She didn’t want anyone who might intercept this to know what her real intentions were. Hell, she didn’t even want the Kith nobleman to know what she wanted until she saw him. She wanted to look him in the eyes when she told him. She deleted what she’d typed and tried again.

Farid. No more teasing. Let’s finish what we started in person. Meet me tonight at your original landing site. I need you. —Bren

Her hand hovered over the key that would seal her fate forever. There would be no turning back. Her career—her life—would be over. Hell, if she were honest with herself, she should have reported fraternizing with the enemy in her dreams long ago, but there was no hiding this kind of breach. Arthur would find out eventually. She knew it. And then everyone would know she was a traitor. If her fingers trembled, she’d never admit it to anyone.

Clenching her teeth together, she pressed SEND.

Farid was more than ready to fall facedown on his gelpad. He had three hours before his next meeting and he didn’t care what it took to make it happen, he was getting some sleep and not linking with Bren. “Vishra, please add the somnolence dose to the air in my room now.”

The ship’s response was immediate. “Of course, my lord.”

“Thank you.” He leaned back against the glass wall of the multiveyor while it moved backward and then slanted at a downward angle to take him to the floor with his quarters.

His work shift so far, like every work shift since they’d arrived, had been a lesson in the futile. Still, he refused to give up. This was what he lived for. The restrictions Kyber had placed on Farid’s diplomacy made it all the more challenging. Given enough time, he would win, eventually. Whether he had that time before the emperor found his One was another story…and another challenge.

Lost in thoughts that had occupied every waking hour for months, he stepped out of the multiveyor and heard it swish closed and hum as it sped away.

A man came bursting through a door and slid to a stop before him. “Farid.”

He blinked and looked up. “Kyber.”

Of all the people aboard their ships, Farid was one of the few who could call his cousin by name. Even then, he usually did so only in private. It was a delicate balance between being family and being respectful of his ruler, no matter how much younger Kyber was than Farid.

“I think I’ve found her.” A wide smile broke across the emperor’s face.

Farid stared for a moment before that information processed. “Your One?”

“Yes. I know where she is now. I must go.” Kyber glanced over Farid’s shoulder. “Vishra, call the multiveyor for me.”

The ship replied in that smooth, unflappable voice. “Of course, Your Majesty.”

“Oh. Wait.” Kyber turned back to his room and lifted a hand toward the open door. A pistol came whizzing through the air to slap into his palm. He slid it into a holster at his hip.

Farid couldn’t stop a grin. “That’s a handy trick.”

“It only works when I’m upset or excited. I don’t think anyone else has the power to do it.” Kyber shrugged and forked his fingers through his long ebony hair.

“I don’t,” Farid replied. Not that he minded. More energy to try to harness was not something he desired.

Kyber’s violet eyes glowed with latent power, paler lavender sparks flashing in his gaze as his anticipation rose. His mind latched on to the subject that Farid doubted was ever far from the surface. “Every time I connect with her, she’s somewhere different. And she’s always gone before I arrive to track her. But not this time.”

Frowning, Farid gave his cousin’s dilemma more thought than he might normally. “Perhaps her occupation requires her to travel a great deal.”

“Perhaps.” The emperor shook his head sharply, and his smile became blinding again as the multiveyor door slid open for him. “I’ll find out when I get there. I’m sure I can get to her before she leaves.”

It wasn’t the first time his cousin had been sure, but Farid sent as much faith and support as he could muster along their familial link. Then he ran a tired hand over his face and turned to walk toward the corridor that led to his quarters. A noise down a small side hallway used for maintenance drew him up short. What now? He sighed and backed up a few steps, allowing his superior vision to peer into the darkness.

His mouth fell open at what he saw. Shaking his head, he tried to clear it. Tylara Belraj, uptight commander of the fleet and captain of the Vishra, had her arms pinned above her head and her pants shoved down around her boots as a man fucked her ruthlessly from behind.

Farid watched her slim, firm body arch in ecstasy. Her head rolled against her lover’s shoulder, her eyes closed. Farid had never witnessed such an unguarded expression on her face. She looked…happy, joyful, lighter than he’d ever seen her. He would never have guessed that the woman was capable of such an emotion, let alone displaying it so openly.

Especially considering they were in an unsecured hallway that any civilian had access to. Releasing her hands, her lover shoved her hard against the metal wall, and his hips hammered forward to slap her smooth buttocks.

She opened her mouth and hissed, every ounce of her feral naturel alive on her face.

Farid stood there staring in stunned silence. He couldn’t make himself look away as a gentleman should. The carnal display was arousing, reminding him forcibly of his own powerless, fruitless delight at reaching for his One.

And that was who this man was to Tylara. Her emotions, as tightly controlled as they were, couldn’t contain that truth, and it ripped him into her maelstrom. He jerked back, trying to wrench himself free of his stupor.

Tylara’s eyes flew open, their midnight irises almost white with the sparks boiling to the surface. “Farid.”

Her lover’s head whipped to the side and he snarled low in his throat. A predator possessive of his prize. His blue eyes flashed wildly, sweat ran in rivulets down his ebony skin, and waist-length braids swung around his face. A jolt shook Farid as he focused his senses on the man for the first time.

Johar Sajan. Brother to Cilji’s perfidious, unstable One.

Shock made Farid sway on his feet. Tylara’s One was a Sajan. He shook his head, clearing the fog of her lust from his mind as he turned and stumbled away.

“Farid, wait!”

He didn’t listen, fleeing blindly down the hallways as he struggled to maintain the shields on his thoughts and emotions. What he felt was no one’s business but his own.

His memories rose with horrifying clarity, brutalizing his mind. Cilji’s face. His impetuous baby sister. Dead. Anun, no. Not that. Anything but that. Not those memories, not that failure. No.

“Stop, Lord Farid!” Tylara’s voice was that of the fleet commander, not one to ignore.

He pulled up, his gut churning with disquiet. Clenching his jaw, he waited for her to draw even with him. He could still scent the sex on her. He could also sense her upset, which was rare for the contained woman. Giving her a curt nod, he stared at a point just beyond her shoulder. “Tylara.”

“Don’t say anything, Farid. I don’t want to hear it.” She shoved her fingers through her hair, working it into some semblance of its usual order.

“Johar Sajan.” The words jerked out of him and his fingers fisted at his sides.

Huffing out a breath, she quit fussing with her hair. “I know his name.”

“He’s also your One.”

She snarled at him, some of the beast ripping free of her tight restraint. “Stay out of my mind.”

Finally meeting her gaze, he arched an eyebrow. “Your thoughts are chaotic, they’re pushing out.”

“You can block them.” She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin, managing to stare down at him though he was a full head taller than her.

“Fine.”

She sighed. “It’s not like with your sister, Farid. I’m in control.”

Closing his eyes, he shook his head and an ironic smile tugged at his mouth. “If there’s anything I know, it’s that control and bonding with your One don’t go hand in hand.”

“I’m aware of that. I am in control enough not to force a bonding between us if he doesn’t want it. Yes, I am far more powerful than he is and I could force it, but I’m not Cilji. He may be from the same family as Cilji’s One, but they aren’t the same men. I understand all of that.” Agony flashed in her eyes. There was no deeper torment than this. “I also understand that he may decide it’s not worth it to deal with someone as powerful as I am, that he may leave me for another woman, another bond. An easier bond.”

“I’m sorry.” He shook his hands out and tucked them into his pockets.

“So am I.” A tremulous smile crossed her lips. “And, yet, I’m not. I could never regret finding my One, even if I know there may be no good ending that comes of it.”

He shook his head. “I hope, for your sake, this turns out better than it did for my sister.”

“No one will die, if that’s what you mean.” Her chin rose another notch.

“It is.”

“Have some faith in me, Farid.” She sniffed, her gaze cooling to that of the military commander she was. In that moment, she reminded him of Bren. His gut clenched at the thought. Too many emotions tangled within him today, and still he couldn’t stop the instinctive craving he had for his One. Tylara’s eyes narrowed on his face. “We’ve known each other long enough for that not to be an odd thing for me to expect from you. You’ve seen me work, seen me under pressure.”

“Leave it be, Tylara.”

She didn’t. He stifled a groan and rubbed the back of his neck. This was not how he’d wanted this day to go. He should be deep in dreamless slumber. Instead, he was being lectured on faith by the highest-ranking officer in Suen’s military. She poked a finger in his direction. “You want people to trust you and your control. You want to prove you’re not like your sister, but no one else can ask for your trust? Is that truly fair? Or rational? Or reasonable?”

He clenched his teeth together to keep from saying things that would destroy years of friendly relations with the woman. He found his fangs had erupted from his gums to press against his lips. So much for his vaunted control. He wasn’t doing very well with that today, was he? First, reaching for his One, and now, arguing with a friend. But she was right, wasn’t she? He’d worked long and hard to prove he’d never end up like his sister—out of control in ways the Kith could never be and still expect to remain sane, to survive at all. That was what bonding with a One could do to a Kith, and only control and logic would keep him from his family’s fate.

He met Tylara’s gaze, hoping she couldn’t see his turmoil. “No, it’s not reasonable, rational, or fair. I’m not like Cilji and neither are you. That doesn’t make my concern for you and your safety illegitimate. Anun be with you.”

With that, he turned on his heel and marched away. Thankfully, she didn’t follow. He didn’t know if he could handle much more today. Connecting with Bren always shook him, always let the beast inside him loose far longer than he normally allowed, always made him react when he should think.

No matter what political maneuvering he might be able to accomplish here, he had to consider self-preservation. He could only pray that the emperor claimed his One soon and they could leave this miserable planet behind. Only then would the temptation Bren presented be beyond his reach.

Ignoring the feline within’s yowl of protest and pain at the mere thought of abandoning its mate forever, he turned for his quarters, once more in complete command of himself.

The personal communication imager in his pocket vibrated to indicate he had received a new message. He pulled out the handheld comm. and accessed the missive.

He had to read it twice before the words sank in. Bren wanted to meet with him. He shouldn’t. He should stay as far away from her as possible. He should allow no contact outside of what was necessary in their professions when he went down to haggle with General Arthur.

His fingers were already moving over the imager, sending her a confirmation of their meeting. “Vishra, cancel the somnolence dose for me, reschedule the rest of my meetings for the day, and alert the cargo master that I’ll be taking a shuttle down to the surface for a…rendezvous of a personal nature.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Night had fallen by the time Bren hiked up the side of a mountain in the middle of West Virginia, moving toward the same clearing she’d stood in when the Sueni had landed. She’d gone with Arthur when he’d been ordered to investigate. Less than a year had passed since then, but so much had changed. Technology, politics, religion, history. Everything.

Farid had been here that day, in his cat form. There’d been only ten of them in the landing party, half in human form, the rest in beast form. The humans had been all shapes, sizes, and colors, and they looked…like regular humans. Farid had moved forward, planting his feline self directly in front of her. He’d bowed his head but never took those icy eyes off her. She was caught by that gaze and the unearthly power she felt behind it.

Everything about him overwhelmed her. He was huge. And beautiful. Like nothing she’d ever seen before. Like nothing any human had ever seen before. They were dangerous and feline, colored like a snow tiger with dark stripes on pale fur. Only no cat could ever be that size. They had the bulk of a grizzly bear, but all the grace of a feline. She shook her head, pushing the memories away. It didn’t matter what the Kith looked like or what had happened the day they arrived. What mattered was right here, right now, she needed the help of one Kith.

Farid.

Pausing beside a large tree, Bren let her gaze scan the area. Nothing moved, nothing was out of place. Only the moon lit the forest around her. She was about a quarter of a mile from the clearing, and she’d dumped her rental car outside the little town at the base of the mountain. The car was low end and she’d switched out the license plates on a similar model outside of D.C. Anything she could do to make herself harder to find, to keep Arthur from realizing what she was doing. She brushed a hand down her T-shirt. She felt naked without her uniform, but she couldn’t afford to wear it. Uniforms were distinctive in civilian areas; they made a person stand out. That was the last thing she wanted right now. Dark jeans, a black shirt, and black hiking boots would have to do. She kept her hair back in its customary knot. That much wouldn’t change.

Cold sweat broke out on her forehead and she closed her eyes for a moment. What the fuck was she doing? She wanted to vomit, and she swallowed the sour gorge that rose in her throat and coated her tongue.

Get a grip, Bren. Suck it up and do what you have to do.

Farid would expect a cold, methodical military woman—the same woman she’d presented herself as every time she’d seen him. Normally, it wasn’t an act, but tonight it would be. She’d never been so rattled in her entire adult life. There were life-and-death, someone-was-shooting-at-her situations where she’d been calmer.

That was because then, there’d been no question who was right or wrong. She’d had a job to do and she would do it to the best of her ability. It might mean she had to kill someone. It might mean she had to die. It might even mean she’d lose a friend, a comrade in arms, but tonight wasn’t about that. Tonight she was giving up her career by helping people who were officially at war with the military she served. Tonight she was betraying everything she’d ever believed in order to safeguard everything she’d ever sworn to protect.

Her country. Earth. Mankind.

More than that, tonight she had to see Farid again. She’d never dealt with him in person so soon after one of their psychic evening trysts. Her sex clenched in utter want while her heart pounded with trepidation. God, help her.

Slow, grueling minutes ticked by as she scouted the area to see if he’d come, all the while expecting an ambush of Kith soldiers, expecting Arthur to send men to kill her, expecting anything and everything.

“Bren.” The deep rumble of his voice directly behind her made her body jolt and her heart thud hard against her ribs. “You weren’t followed?”

“No.” She swallowed, glancing over her shoulder at him as his heat enveloped her. “You came alone?”

“Yes.” His arm wrapped around her waist, whipping her around at dizzying speed until her back pressed to the rough bark of a tree.

“What are you—”

She didn’t get a chance to finish the stupid question. His mouth closed over hers, his free hand bracketing the back of her neck to hold her in place for his kiss. It was the one thing he never did in her dreams. She’d been desperate, dying to know what his full lips would feel like as they played against hers. Would he be soft and gentle, building her needs with just the pleasure of his mouth on hers? Would he be rough, nipping and biting at her lips until she couldn’t stand it anymore? She’d wanted to know even though she shouldn’t.

If his kiss had been demanding, it would have been easy to fight him, to kick and hit and force him to let her go. She had the kind of training to make that happen. But his touch was reverent, worshipful. She hadn’t expected it. He held her so tight, but his lips brushed hers in light strokes that had her straining to get closer, to deepen the contact.

A low growl shook his chest, shuddering through them both. He licked her lower lip, teasing her, probing for entrance.

Let me in. His voice reverberated in her mind. With that, the sizzling connection that bound her to him during the nights he shared her dreams snapped into place. She gasped, the dual physical and mental touch a shock. He took advantage, slipping his tongue into her mouth to tangle with hers. His fingers massaged the back of her neck, calluses rasping her skin as he let his hand drift down her shoulder and lower, until he cupped her breast in his palm. Her body jerked under the hot lash of pleasure, her nipple tightening to a painful point of need. His thumb stimulated the beaded crest through her shirt and bra, and she moaned into his mouth.

It was more than she could resist, no matter what kind of danger they might be in. She shoved her hands into his thick, silken hair. The texture was unlike anything she’d ever felt before. He groaned, thrusting his hips against the juncture of her thighs. She could feel the unyielding arc of his cock through their clothes, and she burned for him. Her pussy drenched with cream, her internal muscles clenching and loosening as her desire flamed out of control.

He jerked back, spinning her with that startling speed of his until they both faced the tree. She stumbled and caught the trunk in her hands, trying to maintain her balance. As if she could with him touching her.

His deft fingers popped the button on her jeans, slid down the zipper with a rasp of sound that made the hairs lift on her arms, and slipped into the vee he’d created. Her thighs shook as she fought to regain some sanity. He pressed his palm flat against her belly, holding her close while his cock rubbed her backside.

She clenched her jaw and tried to steady her breathing. She was here for a reason and getting laid wasn’t it. A throb of want went through her, but she got a stranglehold on her self-restraint. “I…need to talk to you. I—I didn’t come here for this. Not really.”

“Of course you didn’t. We’re in the middle of a forest. Not the best place for an assignation. Nevertheless, I am going to take you, Bren. I’ve waited so long to get you alone, to touch you, to run my hands over your soft skin.” His fingertips grazed the edge of her panties, sliding under the thin cotton. “The opportunity may never come again.”

“But—”

He dipped into the curls between her thighs, and she knew he’d find her slick with juices. Heat burned her face, and she was angry with herself for never being able to stop how she reacted to him, angry at him for always tempting her into reaction.

A shiver went through her when he kissed the side of her neck, and his groan reverberated against her skin as he circled a finger around her clit before sinking into her wet core. “Do you know how good you feel to me, khalaa?”

“Y-yes.” The mental bond was there whether she liked it or not. His desire trickled along that infinitesimal thread that joined them, and her pussy grew damper with every bead of his longing that reached her. Her own need sharpened, deepened, rose to match his.

He wasn’t even inside her yet and she was already teetering on the very edge of orgasm.

His thigh slid between her knees, nudging her legs apart as he tilted her torso forward with his. His thumb toyed with her clit while he pumped two fingers inside her. Even as he worked her, his other hand eased her jeans and panties down around her thighs. Cool air brushed over her bared skin, and a shudder ran through her. His movements were slow, tormenting her. She had to bite her lip hard to keep from crying out in frustration. Her tension bloomed, and she was terrified to scream, to whimper, to make a single sound lest someone be listening, watching.

The backs of his knuckles rubbed her backside as he unfastened his pants. When the hot flesh of his erection met her skin, she moaned. Desperation wrenched deep within her. Yes. She wanted to be filled by him. The head of his dick slid over the lips of her pussy, not entering her. Need tore through her and she tilted her hips to open herself for his penetration, but her movements were hampered by her jeans shackling her legs.

He ran his tongue up the side of her neck and caught her earlobe between his teeth. His breath cooled the moisture on her flesh when he spoke. “Tell me to stop.”

“I can’t.” The words ripped out of her, almost a sob. Her hips undulated helplessly. She wanted him too much to stop, her body’s needs overruling her mind.

Lacing his fingers with hers, he pressed their hands against the tree and pinned her in place. A soft chuckle broke from him. “Good.”

And then he arched his hips, piercing her with one hard thrust. She cried out, the stretch almost painful. After their late-night meetings, she hadn’t expected it, but those times hadn’t been real. Not like this. The carnality of it shocked her—his scent and feel overwhelmed her senses until everything narrowed to just him.

He froze behind her, still buried to the hilt inside her. Agony tore his voice to a ragged whisper, “I hurt you, khalaa.”

Wriggling to get closer, to force his cock even deeper, she pressed herself into him. He was so big, he filled her so well. It was amazing. Mind-blowing. “Stop and I will do a lot more than hurt you.”

He remained still, doing nothing to help her gain the satisfaction she craved. “Bren…”

“Don’t make me beg.” Because at this point, she would. Her body screamed with tension, fire and ice tingling over her skin. She gritted her teeth to keep from whimpering.

“I won’t.” He began moving again and she did whimper, so grateful that tears sprang to her eyes. She blinked them back, unwilling to let anything encourage him to stop again.

Sweat beaded on her forehead, sliding down her temples. The breeze wrapping around them chilled the moisture on her skin, but it was just one more stimulation, one more thing to make her moan. The thread of awareness that connected their minds filtered desire back and forth between them. Heat whipped through her, made her skin feel too tight, as though she would explode any moment. She closed her eyes, gasping for breath as he ground himself against her. “Oh, my God.”

Her pussy flexed around his cock and she could feel her orgasm building, knew he could feel it too. He groaned, and his claws slid forward, digging deep into the tree bark. “Merciful Anun.”

“Harder, faster. I’m so close.” She didn’t give a damn if anyone was nearby, and she knew that was stupid, that this was stupid, but it didn’t stop her. He gave her what she wanted, his hips bucking hard as he slammed deep. Waves of ecstasy radiated out each time he entered her, her whole body focused on that one point that joined them.

His fangs grazed her throat, scoring her flesh. She threw her head back on his shoulder, gave him all the access he could want, and arched her hips to meet his hammering thrusts. Their skin slapped together, the sound loud in the quiet forest.

One of his hands dropped to fondle her breast, his claws scraping her as he slipped lower to flick over her clitoris. A thin cry burst from her, and she clamped her inner muscles around him, giving as good as she got. His groan was as helpless as she felt.

He worked her clit in time with his thrusts, arching her forward into his finger, and back into his cock. Then the point of his claw raked her sensitive flesh oh-so-lightly. But it was enough. She was so hot, so ready, it was enough to send her flying. Her mouth opened in a silent scream, her body locking tight. Her sex fisted around the length of his cock, pleasure cascading through her with each rhythmic pulse of her inner muscles.

He rammed his cock inside her, dragging out her orgasm as he sought his own. He hissed between his teeth, the sound not quite human. When he came deep inside her, his fluids filling her with heat, her sex clenched again, making them both groan. His mouth opened against her neck, licking and sucking at her sweat-dampened flesh as his voice filled her mind. Yes, khalaa. Just like that. I have wanted this for so long.

So had she, though she’d never confess it to him. She didn’t even want to acknowledge it to herself. Her heart still pounded in her ears, her muscles beginning to cramp from the awkward, bent position. The cloud of lust began to clear from her mind, and reality came back in an awful rush. She closed her eyes as she scrambled to gather up the unraveling edges of her self-control. Jerking her hand out from under his, she scraped her palm against the rough tree.

God, she was pathetic. How hard up did she have to be to fuck a virtual stranger, an enemy, out in the open? Especially when she had come for reasons that were more than a little time sensitive. How long did she have before Arthur realized she’d defected? Tomorrow morning at the latest, and she doubted she’d be that lucky. She needed to know if she could count on Farid and his emperor for help.

Dancing her hips away, she felt Farid’s cock slide from her body. A final shiver wracked her, pleasure ricocheting through her whether she wanted it to or not. And she did not, damn it. Why did the chemistry with him have to be so powerful, so right, so beyond anything she’d ever experienced before? She hated it so much. Almost as much as she craved it, him.

He sighed softly, righting his clothes as she did the same. Her movements were jerky, stiff as she lambasted herself for her stupidity. Mustering the flagging edges of her dignity and courage, she finally faced him. He wasn’t looking at her. His eyes were closed, his head tilted as though he were listening for something. Foreboding rippled through her, the hairs standing up on the back of her neck.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered as she pulled the gun out of the holster strapped to her ankle. Call it a reaction to him or just good old-fashioned gut instinct, but she knew something was out there. Could be a harmless hiker getting a voyeuristic thrill or it could be something much more dangerous. “I thought you were alone, Arjun.”

Then she heard what his sensitive ears had picked up first. The sound of helicopter blades slicing through the air. It was moving far faster and far lower than a commercial helo would, which meant one thing. They were screwed. A spotlight hit the clearing she’d never reached, the glow filtering between the tree branches, as soldiers repelled out of the aircraft and hit the ground.

She turned to run, but Farid grabbed her, dragging them both to the ground. “Down!”

Machine gun fire rapped a staccato beat as bullets slapped into the ground beside them. A root from the tree they’d fucked against slammed into her belly, knocking the wind out of her. She gagged for air but scrambled forward to take cover.

“I thought you weren’t followed!” He hissed, his fangs fully extended.

“Damn it!” Her heart pounded loud in her ears. She braced her back against the tree, held her weapon at the ready, and tried to steady her breathing so she could hear.

He snarled several words in his language that she was pretty sure were spleen-venting curses. The ground rocked beneath them as something large blew up, shooting flames and debris high above the canopy of trees.

“That would be my shuttle.” His voice was clipped, cold.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I didn’t see or hear you land.”

“I was here long before you were.” If possible, his tone chilled even more, dipping into subarctic.

A distant rumble sounded as something farther away exploded. Oh, Jesus. Realization hit her in a sick rush. “And that’s my car. Shit!”

He snarled again, his eyes boiling green sparks, but said nothing else. He scanned the trees, and she could feel the heat of his power pulse out in a wave. What he was looking for, she didn’t know, but she took the opportunity to listen for approaching footsteps or movement. The machine gun fire had come at them from the north—the same direction as her car—his shuttle was south, but every second that passed meant they could be moving while Farid and she were pinned down. “Bren, where is your cell phone?”

“E.T. phone home?” She fished it out of her pocket and handed it to him. She could hear the whine of the helo coming back, spotlight on and ready to reveal their location.

“What?” He flipped open the slim phone and the screen lit.

“Nothing.” She shook her head. “You’d have to be human to get it.”

“I read their minds. They’re using this to track you.” He drew back his arm and launched her cell as far as he could.

She flinched as her one form of communication with anyone off this mountain shattered against a boulder. “Shit.”

Grabbing her arm, Farid began to drag her toward the flame-engulfed shell of his ship. She kept her weapon at the ready, not looking directly into the fire so that it couldn’t mess up her night vision. Getting that close to the fire would cast shadows and give even a moron a big clue about where they were. They wouldn’t even need the spotlight on them. She whispered, “What are you doing?”

His fingers tightened around her wrist, though she’d made no attempt to escape, which just made her want to fight him. She gritted her teeth and refused to do something that would guarantee they got shot.

“I sense no people beyond my shuttle. I’m getting us out of here before we’re killed. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Spare me the sarcasm, Arjun.” She twisted her arm in his grip as they moved. “And let go of me. Now.”

He did but cast her a cool glance as he moved behind her to watch her back. “My name is Farid.”

“Whatever.” Like it mattered what she called him. They needed to get out of this situation or her defecting wouldn’t do shit to help anyone.

Farid had seen the opportunity to have her and he’d taken it. He was nothing if not ruthless. Even though he would never bond with her, he wanted her, wanted to know what fucking a woman made just for him would be like. She’d come to him, so now she was his. And he would have her for as long as he liked, as long as his people were on Earth. If an infinitesimal part of him hoped the emperor’s One was never found and the Kith remained indefinitely, he silenced that inner voice quickly enough.

Though none of that mattered if he let them get killed this night. He kicked himself for having lost control and given in to the need to take his One without ensuring their safety. Guilt flooded him. He knew better, knew what could happen when he allowed even a moment’s inattention.

Clenching his jaw, he slid his slim razer pistol from the holster at the small of his back and kept his senses wide open, noting every movement, every conscious being that littered the forest around them. There were the native animals to the area, prey and predators, but aside from that there were two-legged predators. Humans. Seven of them, all large, and moving the way only experienced warriors did.

Their aircraft continued to buzz low to the ground, a light cutting through the trees. The beast within him chafed at being hunted, wanted to return the favor, and shred them with his claws. But his One would be left alone, and he wasn’t willing to do so. He had no doubt that she could take care of herself—she moved with the same air of experience as the warriors tracking them—but he had her by his side and he intended to keep her there. For now.

She paused, slipping behind a tree a moment before he would have warned her to take cover. He crouched beside her, one hand braced on the ground before him, his claws digging deep into the foreign soil. His heart pounded and he closed his eyes, allowed his other senses to come to the fore, and hid the sparks in his irises that made him easy prey. Using his razer would make the blue laser it emitted flash in the dark and alert others to their location. Better to handle the enemy silently. Bloodlust roared in his veins. The sound of a soldier’s footsteps intensified, making them drumbeats against the ground. His scent drew closer, and Farid’s muscles tensed, ready to spring and eliminate one of the threats.

He jolted when Bren’s hand closed over his shoulder, not expecting his One to touch him. He froze, and the soldier passed them.

Bren’s words were little more than breaths of air next to his ear. “Escape and evade. Do not engage.”

A shudder passed through him as he struggled to control the conflicting urges ripping through him. His eyes opened and he glanced at her, sending words he knew he couldn’t speak steadily out loud to her mind instead. Tell me, has someone finally rebelled against your general and now they are hunting you by association, or have you finally come to your senses and now your general and his men are out to kill you?

“How do you know they weren’t after you?” He dug his claws deeper into the forest floor when her lips brushed his ear. “Your shuttle was blown, too.”

He closed his eyes again, knowing the green sparks would be boiling fast and bright for anyone to see. They could, I suppose, but why bomb your car if all they wanted was to keep me on the planet?

“I-I want to depose Arthur.” Her fingers flexed convulsively on his shoulder, biting into his flesh through his tunic. “I don’t want anyone else to be hurt.”

And you want Sueni help with that? His heart slammed against his ribs, and though his mind had already worked out that logical conclusion, everything he knew about this woman said she would never betray her beliefs. What had Arthur done to make her change her mind about him? The blood rushing so hot in his veins chilled at the possibilities, and he zeroed in his senses on his One to be certain that she was as unscathed as she’d appeared when he first approached her. He might not want to bond with her, but he would never allow anyone to harm her. For the moment, she was his, and he protected what was his.

Removing her hand from him, she put enough distance between them so they were no longer touching. “You don’t want him in power any more than I do.”

Less. Though he had his doubts about convincing Kyber to reverse his nonaggression policy on Earth. That was a fight for another time. Farid wasted no more time speaking, opened his eyes, and motioned her forward. They needed to get away from here if he wasn’t going to be allowed to dismantle the men who dared to hunt his One. If they became a direct threat, he wouldn’t hesitate. Any details he wanted about what Arthur had done would have to wait until they were safe.

Farid jerked out his handheld comm. device and keyed the imager to call for help from the Vishra. A shout sounded nearby and Farid looked up to see the soldier who had passed them had circled back around. He lifted a pistol, aimed it at Bren, and Farid saw in excruciating detail how his finger squeezed the trigger. The muzzle flashed. Farid’s heart contracted, adrenaline exploding in his veins. He reacted without thought, with the lightning reflexes of his feline nature, launching his comm. into the exact path of the bullet. The imager burst into little more than metal debris. His other hand came around and he fired his razer at their attacker. The soldier screamed, dropped a small, round object to the ground, and convulsed as electricity sizzled through his body.

Time rushed ahead at light speed, and Farid’s pulse raced to match. Bren blinked. “How the hell did you throw—”

Run! His senses vibrated with danger, shrieking at him that six more of the enemies sprinted at them from multiple directions.

Bren was already on her feet, her boots kicking up dirt as she obeyed. She shouted over her shoulder, “Did you kill him?”

This is a Class Three razer. At full charge, it can only cause unconsciousness. He’ll be fine. Worry more about your own hide than his and move faster. Now! He watched her flip a rude hand gesture at him, but she obliged him by pouring on more speed. Another aircraft was coming—he could hear it whirring in the distance. More soldiers to come down ropes, more light to seek them out in the dark, and more enemies to hunt them. They dashed through the trees until they found themselves moving along a ridge that dropped into a wide, rushing river.

While Farid’s superhuman speed could easily outdistance their pursuers, he wasn’t going to leave his One’s side. Sweat made his tunic stick to his back and dampened his hair. His muscles shook as his instincts screamed to run faster, to get away, and his lungs burned as he sucked in oxygen.

They broke into a wide clearing and were nearly halfway across when he knew they’d neither be able to escape nor evade confrontation with the humans. One came out of the trees in front of them, three more to the side. Trapped. Farid knew going back the way they’d come was futile, and the river boxed them in. The soldiers began to circle their prey. One of the aircraft reached them, circling overhead to shine a blinding beam down on them. Farid hissed, his feline eyes aching at the adjustment to fluctuating light.

Squinting against the glare, he focused his psychic power on the nearest soldier and shoved in the image that the man’s arm was on fire.

“I’m on fire! Oh, my God. My fucking arm is on fire!” He screamed, slapping at his shoulder frantically before diving on the ground to roll.

Spinning to level his weapon on the next soldier, he watched the man pull out the same kind of small, round object the other soldier had dropped. Bren gasped. “Oh. Shit.”

He grabbed her arm and shoved her behind him, bracing for an explosion. It didn’t come. Instead, a high-pitched squeal rent the air, and Farid felt as though something vital had suddenly numbed, a shocking blow that left his ears ringing. Something he’d always known was there was blunted, ineffective. A white-hot blade sliced through his mind. He staggered, his claws and fangs exploding forward. A deep roar issued from his throat, the feline taking hard, abrupt control of his body.

His vision tunneled to one focus, one purpose. He would kill now, the beast had been unleashed.

“Arjun!” Bren sprayed gunfire at the feet of the soldiers to send them scrambling back for the cover of the trees. She launched herself forward, plowed all her weight into Farid, and sent them both careening over the sheer drop into the river. Reflex made his muscles tense, his hand gripping his gun. Blind instinct made him reach for his One, and he wrapped his arms around her in the single heartbeat it took to fall.

Sanity returned with a cold slap as they hit the frigid water. The river dragged them under, whipped them around in dizzying circles before he could propel them to the surface. They broke through, sputtering and coughing up fluids. His hold tightened on both his weapon and his One for fear of losing either in the rushing current. His heart pounded so loudly in his ears, it almost drowned out the roar of the river.

White foaming water slapped him in the face with the force of a battering ram when they hit rapids. He tried to kick, to take the brunt of the glancing blows from protruding rocks. Agony made his body arch, made a chilling feline scream burst from him. Bren gagged when they went under again, screamed and clung to him, her grip as desperate as his was. The only truth he knew was that he could not allow her to die, too. Not his One. They dipped in the river’s eddies, spun weightlessly, helplessly, jerked in any direction the water would taken them.

Endless miles sped by before the currents calmed, and his muscles shrieked, his body trembling. He swam with the stream, directing their mad flight through the water. Bren scissored her legs to help him, her expression one of grim determination. They braced each other to be able to stand upright and maintain their footing as they stumbled out of the sucking current. His wet clothing felt as if it weighed more than the Vishra as it threatened to drag him to his knees.

They staggered to the relative cover of a copse of trees, sobbing for breath, vomiting up water. He caught one hand on his knee to keep from slamming face-first into the forest floor and shoved his pistol into the holster at his back. Every inch of his body shuddered and cramped, pain taking on a new definition in his mind.

When he managed to look up again, it was to see Bren sagging against a tree with her eyes closed. She gasped raggedly. “Are you all right, Arjun?”

“Fine.” Honing his senses in on her revealed scrapes and bruises but no serious injuries. Relief wound through him with an intensity that alarmed him. Shaking himself beastlike to fling as much of the water off him as possible, he pushed away the feeling and focused on something safer—the events in the clearing. His voice emerged a rough croak. “What was that device they used?”

“It was—” Her low whisper cracked and broke off. She cleared her throat, her expression closing to tell him nothing. “All I know is it was designed to target the wavelengths in the Kith mind and nullify psychic power.”

“Madness,” he breathed, horror cresting within him. “The psychic power is what allows us to control the rampaging animal side of our nature.”

“So I saw.” She pushed herself upright, a low groan breaking from her. “Since you have your psychic mojo back, you can contact your ship and tell them to send a shuttle.”

“I cannot.” He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “It is too far for my powers to reach. I would be unable connect with them from here.”

“You make it from your ship to Earth just fine when you connect with me.” Her gaze called him a liar, though the word didn’t escape her lips.

He looked away, unable to meet her brilliant blue eyes. “It is different with you.”

“How?” Combing her fingers through her tangled hair, she squeezed out the water, worked it into a long, thick plait, and fastened it with a tie she pulled from her pocket. She flipped it over her shoulder and arched her eyebrows at him. “How is it different, Arjun? I’m not even Kith to…you know, boost your power source from the other end.”

“You would not understand. It’s complicated.” Outside of that, he wouldn’t tell her the truth. He never intended to initiate the One bond, so she had no need to know. “Suffice to say, we must wait until they realize I am no longer gone of my own accord.”

The Sueni would search for him soon, but he was far from the site of his landing and out of range of any ability to contact his people. He sent psychic distress calls up and outward, pushing his power as far as it would go. Nothing happened. He shook his head and sighed. With the exception of Kyber, no Kith had the ability to reach so far with their mental power. And Kyber had been more than a little distracted of late, so Farid had no idea when the emperor might be open to contact. He snorted. At this point, he wasn’t even sure where his cousin was. Back on the Vishra, still on Earth, possibly bonding with his One?

“Well, we can’t stay here. They’re going to search the river for us.” Her lips twisted in an unpleasant imitation of a smile. “Of course, they’ll be hoping the rapids took care of us and all they find is our dead bodies.”

“Wonderful.” His body screeched a protest when he began moving, but he gritted his teeth and pushed on. She was right. They couldn’t stay here, no matter how much he might crave rest. He stayed behind her as she began hiking, forced his psychic and feral senses open, and remained alert for any danger.