Authors: Nina Pierce
“
Why
don’t we sit? This could take a little time.”
Less
than forty-five minutes later, Lilly fell back against the chair, her
fists clenched in rage against the monster they’d dubbed
Hij’Rozhod
, mist of death. She had no idea if the hologram
of the Braugtot she’d seen was the mastermind behind all
fourteen deaths, but if he’d somehow orchestrated this whole
mess, including the disaster on Canus Delta that had nearly killed
Dallas, she’d do anything she could to bring him down.
“
Wow,
you’re sure all those assassinations are linked to one person?”
she asked.
“
We’re
operating on that assumption,” Dallas replied.
“
And
no one got a look at him or her on Canus Delta?”
Thaegan
exchanged another furtive glance with Dallas. There was definitely
something they weren’t telling her about that operation. Their
details of the botched mission had been sketchy at best as they
described the mayhem that had left President Orch and several of his
team dead and Dallas severely wounded.
“
I
mean no description at all?” she asked.
“
We
were counting on you to fill in that missing piece,” said
Thaegan.
“
Assuming
Grebetz hasn’t been scared off by the chaos at the tavern last
night,” continued Dallas. “We have a man who’s been
working undercover in hopes of being hired on to
Hij’Rozhod’s
team. We have an interview set up with the Znedu and his boss
tonight. Last night was supposed to be a dry run.”
“
That’s
why we couldn’t let you take him,” Thaegan finished.
“
Just
give us a description. We’ll feed it into our software and
it’ll spit out a likeness. We can take him down the minute he
enters the tavern.” Dallas sounded so hopeful.
“
But
it’s a male Braugtot,” Lilly said slowly, giving them
time to assimilate that information. “I only saw him in his
natural form.”
Dallas’
fist slammed down on the table. “Can this get any more fucked
up?” He pushed out of the chair and stalked to the front
window. “And you couldn’t have told us that an hour ago?
Before
we filled you in on
classified
information.”
“
That’s
enough, Dallas. Lilly needed to know what she was getting herself
into before she signed on. She’s done nothing wrong.”
“
Except
forget to mention the alien was a Braugtot.” Dallas turned away
from the window. Bruised skin of exhaustion sat below his eyes, the
emotional weariness of the night curving the expanse of his
shoulders. The man was definitely slogging around some additional
burden Lilly wasn’t privy to.
“
With
millions of them in the galaxy all those tattoos blur together.
They’re nearly impossible to distinguish with just one look,”
said Dallas.
“
Oh,
that’s bullshit and you know it,” Thaegan said. “Lilly’s
a detective trained to pick up on the smallest nuances of behavior.
Every tattoo is unique in some way. I have no doubt she’d
recognize it regardless of what form the Braugtot was in.”
“
Thaegan’s
right,” she said, lilting her voice to sound more hopeful than
she felt. Identifying a Braugtot by his tattoo required attention to
detail or complicated software. “I might not be able to
describe him enough for your software to create a 3-D likeness, but
surely I could distinguish major swirls on his face regardless of
what form he took.” Lilly smiled, trying to crack the tough
exterior Dallas had erected as he’d spoken of
Hij’Rozhod
.
She suspected Thaegan had contacted his superiors while he was out,
which meant they didn’t have much time before they would have
to bring her back to QAL Headquarters for an official interrogation.
“I don’t see a problem. I’ve been a regular at the
tavern for the last week or so. I’ll simply go back there
tonight with the rest of your team. I doubt my presence will even
spook Grebetz.”
“
You’re
not going anywhere near that tavern tonight,” Dallas said, his
determination emphasizing his statement. “We’ll figure
another way for you to get a look at the tattoo.”
“
I
think she’s right, Dallas. Like Lilly said, without her we’re
flying blind.”
“
Then
we’ll go in like friggin’ bats.” Dallas’
angry strides carried him back to them. “I’m not going to
allow Lilly to put herself in danger like that. As team leader,
I
make those decisions.”
Indignation
had her pushing back from the table and standing toe-to-toe with
Dallas. “I haven’t had a boss since being kidnapped from
Earth over six months ago.” Her finger poked into his sternum.
“And you, you arrogant asshole, aren’t going to tell me
where I can and can’t go on Garalon Five.”
Poke. Poke
.
“You’re not taking me to QAL headquarters.”
Poke
.
“You’re not keeping me from that tavern.”
Poke.
“And you’re sure as hell not going to stop me from
helping you.”
Poke. Poke.
Dallas
wrapped his hand around her fingers, his touch possessive. His eyes,
dark and hard, locked on hers. The smile curving the corner of his
full mouth communicated only the stubborn determination to have his
way. Lilly had to fight the urge to swallow against the wave of
desire his obstinate stare created in her. Energy snapped along her
nerves and she worked to tamp it down. Whatever they decided, she
didn’t want it to be skewed by overly charged male hormones.
“
When
we go to the tavern tonight,” Dallas said finally. “You
will be safely tucked away at home, doing whatever it is you do at
night that
doesn’t
involve bounty hunting.”
“
No,
I—”
He
silenced her with a finger to her lips. “It’s not because
I don’t trust you, Lilly…I do. And I know you’re
capable of taking care of yourself. You’ve proved it several
times already tonight.” Dallas shot a look over her shoulder
and smiled, this time with genuine amusement that brought out his
dimple and softened his eyes. “Hell, I’m not sure I’ve
ever seen anyone best Thaegan.”
She
heard the Ka’al’s mumbled curse behind her.
“
Then
let me help.”
“
The
problem is the location. It’s always bothered me. I suspect
this thing with Grebetz has long arms that could snag innocent
bystanders. I’ll have enough to worry about tonight, keeping
the patrons of the tavern out of harm’s way and my team safe.
I’m afraid if you were there, I couldn’t concentrate.
You’d be the only thing I could focus on.” His lips
brushed hers, touching off a wave of desire that seared straight down
her core. “And I don’t think you want to be responsible
for one of my men getting hurt because I wasn’t one hundred
percent focused.”
Wasn’t
that just like a man to turn a compliment into a guilt trip? “You’ll
hardly know I’m there.”
“
I’m
very
aware of where you are, Lilly.”
“
You’re
not going to change my mind on this one, Dallas.”
“
What
makes you think I’m trying to? My boss would be very unhappy if
I didn’t do a thorough interrogation of a suspect.”
Dallas slid his hand around the back of her neck and brushed his lips
whisper-soft against hers. “We’ve got another couple of
hours before we’re expected back at headquarters.” His
teeth nipped at her bottom lip and his tongue swept out to soothe.
“And since you have no intention of going back with us, I’ve
got to have some excuse as to how an unarmed streetwalker got away
from two well-trained QAL operatives.” Velvet soft and hot, his
mouth teased and aroused. “Overpowered by a Seraphelium seems
likely.”
His
hands slid up her ribs, curving seductively around the outside of her
breasts. His thumbs teased her nipples into to taut points, sending
fire scorching through her veins and igniting her energy. Lilly
wanted to tamp it down, to enjoy what Dallas could do to her without
affecting him, but that wasn’t possible. Her hormones
controlled the energy and with the man’s talented hands
stroking her flesh, she couldn’t slow her libido.
“
What
about Thaegan?”
The
Ka’al stepped up behind her, the solid muscle of his chest,
sandwiching her between the men. Butterflies took flight in her belly
as confusion warred with intrigue. She wasn’t sure she wanted
this and her body tensed at the contact. Lilly’s focus had been
on Dallas and her desire for
him
. But having the heat of
Thaegan’s body pressed against her back certainly kicked her
heart rate up another notch.
“
I
was hoping to join you.” Thaegan’s words came out as if
he’d dragged them over a burning road of molten lust.
“
I
don’t know. I…” Her body thrummed with energy and
need and Lilly wasn’t sure how to respond.
Thaegan’s
tongue rasped the shell of her ear. His warm breath caressing her
throat and sending aching shivers of lust straight to her clenching
womb. “You know how much you make me want.”
She
did. And that was the crux of her dilemma.
But
then sex for her had always come down to that—desire and need.
Lilly wanted to be
desired
, to be craved with a ravenous
hunger so overwhelming that a man would wither away without her
intimate touch. What she had instead were males whose bodies were
overloaded by hormones and needed—no,
demanded
—mindless
rutting.
Thaegan
ran his hands up her arms, gently massaging her shoulders, reminding
Lilly she hadn’t responded. That had to mean something. Neither
of them was taking without first making sure it’s what she
wanted.
“
The
decision is all yours, Lilly,” Dallas said before sucking her
beaded nipple into his mouth, dampening the comfortable fabric of his
shirt. “I think it’s obvious how much we
both
want
you.”
The
orgasm earlier had only taken the edge off the energy flowing through
her. With just a few deft strokes of their hands and mouths, these
men had made her body quiver with need. It would be foolish to deny
all three of them the pleasures their bodies demanded just because
her heart wanted something unattainable.
As
if confirming her thoughts, Thaegan buried his face in her hair,
filling his lungs with her scent. His body trembled as her energy
flowed through him. A rumble of sexual need vibrated against her
back, quivering over her sensitive nerves, stoking the greedy fires
of lust.
No,
she didn’t want them to stop. Didn’t want them to leave
her with this burning urgency. But the words wouldn’t come and
all she could do was nod and moan out her approval. Her restless
hands glided around Thaegan’s hips, squeezing the firm muscles
of the Ka’al’s ass, pulling his growing erection tight
against her back, confirming her decision.
The
men moved in synchronized rhythm, stroking her body in a masterful
dance of hands and mouths until she was trembling with need. Their
moves, choreographed without words, were meant only for her pleasure.
Lilly suspected she wasn’t the first women these partners had
shared. But it was most definitely her first experience with multiple
partners. In all her wildest fantasies, she couldn’t have
imagined the security and thrill of being pressed between the heat of
two men whose sole focus at the moment was her satisfaction.
“
Yeah,
this is definitely okay,” she managed to pant.
The
Ka’al inhaled again, the soft ridges of his nose nuzzling
behind her ear. “Good because I’d have had a hell of a
time stopping now if you said no.” His soft purr rumbled in her
ear, sending a hot flush of liquid from her core. “Do you know
what you do to me?”
“
To
both of us, Lilly,” Dallas whispered. With the carelessness of
a thirsty man who’s just found water, he grabbed the lapels of
the shirt and ripped it off her shoulders. Buttons bounced on the
floor. Lilly was used to the madness of males under her control, but
the flames of passion sparking greedily in Dallas’ human eyes
as his salacious gaze raked down her torso held a different kind of
urgency. But perhaps she was just projecting a fantasy onto this man.
As
Thaegan’s hands surrounded her breasts, pinching her nipples
between his large fingers, Lilly didn’t have the focus to
ponder it. There was only the tiny shockwaves of energy zinging along
her nerves, clenching her internal muscles and making her wet with
the desperate need to join with these males. As her energy crackled
in the air, more honey leaked from her folds until it once again
coated the inside of her trembling thighs. Thaegan’s and
Dallas’ movements became more frenzied and desperate with each
wave vibrating through her body.
Dallas
dropped to his knees, lifting Lilly’s leg over his shoulder.
The erotic scent of her arousal filled the air, cloaking them in its
velvet aroma. The Ka’al’s tongue rasped up her chin as
Dallas’ eager mouth teased her sensitive flesh. Lilly turned
her head and Thaegan’s lips crushed hers, his tongue hungrily
taking possession of her mouth. She sucked in the silken heat,
sweeping her tongue over the unfamiliar contours of his mouth. The
rough surface added a thrilling dimension to the cinnamon flavor of
him.
Dallas’
fingers parted her folds, his tongue caressing her slit. His moans of
satisfaction pitched her to another level of bliss. Her hands found
their way to his hair, tangling in the curls and anchoring her
against the onslaught of sensations boiling within her.