Authors: Nina Pierce
“
Then
what the hell are you saying, Thaegan?”
Thaegan
looked down at Dallas’ thigh. “How’s the leg?”
Dallas
had no idea why his partner changed the subject, but he pulled open
the slit in his jeans, offering Thaegan a view of the flesh. The skin
was a raw welt, but it had completely closed and the pain had
subsided to nothing more than an annoyance. The dried blood on his
thigh and jeans were the only evidence of the mortal wound Lilly had
inflicted. “It’s fine. But I don’t know how that…”
Then he understood. Dallas looked up at his partner. Thaegan’s
mouth quirked in a knowing smile, one eyebrow arched as if to say
I’m
not crazy
.
“
Amazing
stuff that synthetic blood,” said Dallas.
“
That’s
exactly what I’m thinking.”
The
foggy edges of unconsciousness receded, but darkness still enveloped
her. Panic ripped through Lilly and she fought to keep it at bay. A
quick assessment found her lying on her side, hands bound behind her
back, her shoulder smarting with the familiar burn of a laser. A soft
cloth had been thrown over her head. Her mouth wasn’t gagged
but making any sound when her captors believed she was unconscious
would not be wise.
From
the low hum surrounding her, Lilly surmised she was in a vehicle.
Perhaps the van from the alley. The sounds of a heated discussion
drifted from the front of the vehicle and she strained to hear them.
It took a couple of minutes for her brain to make sense of their
words.
“
How’s
the leg?” She recognized the deep baritone of the Ka’al.
She’d pushed him to his limits in the alley and overloaded his
sexual circuits enough for the big alien to black out. She was
blaming him for losing the Znedu and the bounty that came with him.
Lilly hoped the guy had a painful hard-on the size of the Sears
tower.
“
It’s
fine,” said Dallas.
Relief
flooded through her. Lilly had only meant to threaten Dallas into
letting her go, but when she’d lunged at the man, the Ba’alkin
dagger had honed in on an artery of its own accord and sliced his leg
wide open. No wonder the knives weren’t street legal. She’d
been sickened to see his life’s blood spilling on the tavern
floor.
Though
their encounter had been brief, Dallas’ talented hands had been
both gentle and masterful and had played her body like a maestro
coaxing sweet music from the instruments at his command. Her body had
definitely bowed to his whim. She could use some of that now. The
gentle vibration of the vehicle made her acutely aware of the energy
ricocheting along her nerves, adding to her agitation. But she needed
to keep it on edge. There was no telling what these men intended.
Lilly may need to use her gift again. Having the current powered up
meant less of her energy reserves would be used in defense, leaving
more for an escape.
The
van stopped and the engine was cut, making it easier for her to hear.
“
So
do you at least believe it’s possible?” the Ka’al
asked.
What
was possible? What had she missed?
“
Until
proven otherwise, I’ll go with your hypothesis. But that
doesn’t answer the question of what we…” Dallas’s
voice drifted off as they left the van, both doors shutting with a
soft click.
Relax,
she instructed her body. She might as well play this unconscious
card until she got some information from them.
The
door at her feet opened. “…until we have
Hij’Rozhod
.
Then
if she has nothing to do with it, we can let her go,”
the large alien said.
“
The
hood is overkill, Thaegan. She’s unconscious, for chrissake.
I’m not making her wear it.”
So
the Ka’al went by the name of Thaegan. Good to know.
“
Now
that we’re here, I don’t give a shit about the hood. But
keep her hands bound.”
Gently,
her head was lifted and the cloth maneuvered away from her face.
Though it hadn’t restricted her breathing, Lilly couldn’t
help but pull in a lungful of cool desert air. She covered it with a
soft moan as if she were just roused from a deep sleep. Neither male
moved, but when her body remained still, strong hands scooped under
her knees and around her shoulders. The clean smell of Dallas drifted
over her senses. The strong muscles of his arms and chest cradled her
body as he lifted her with ease and pulled Lilly close. Her body
reacted immediately, desire and energy humming over her synapses. It
took all her self-control to remain lax and not snuggle into the
warmth of his neck.
Stairs
creaked. Lilly chanced a peek at her surroundings. Rough-hewn boards
were illuminated in the yellow wash of light from a single window. A
rocking chair sat idle. She wondered if they’d brought her to
the mining community in the desert. Even Garalon Five with all its
updated building materials had residents who’d gone back to the
land. She’d never been this far from the city’s center
but had talked with enough locals and studied enough maps to know her
way around the surrounding terrain. A bounty hunter had to know all
the places a fugitive could run.
Escaping
from here would be difficult for sure, especially without the use of
a luna vehicle, but if she was where she believed, then mountains lay
just to the north. A night’s trek away.
“
Tie
her here,” Thaegan commanded.
“
What
the hell? I’m not tying her anywhere.” Dallas laid her on
something soft.
But
rough hands quickly scooped her up. Thaegan let out a frustrated cry
as if touching her burned. The way her nipples ached and her body
throbbed, Lilly knew the energy still flowed. Add this to what she’d
done to him in the alley and the Ka’al must be about ready to
explode. Served him right. She hadn’t asked them to get in the
middle of her takedown.
His
feet slapped across the floor as he dropped her firmly on a hard
chair, her bound hands sliding behind the chair back. She let her
head flop to her chest. Thaegan’s rough handling made it
difficult to play the role of the unconscious victim. At some point
she’d have to stop faking, but with her unconscious, she hoped
they might be less guarded with their conversation.
“
I’m
not touching her again.” Thaegan’s words came out on
panting breaths. “And you
will
tie her to this chair.
I’m not chancing having her hands free.”
Dallas’s
boots clicked across the floor. “You really think—”
“
I
don’t
think
,
Dallas, I
know
. This
Seraphelium’s dangerous.”
Whoa,
stop the presses
. She hadn’t heard that term since leaving
Earth. How the hell had the Ka’al figured it out? Most aliens
in deep space had never heard of her ancestors.
“
And
while you’re at it, tie her feet to the chair legs.”
“
She’s
not going anywhere.”
“
Do.
It.” She heard the hard emotion riding on Thaegan’s
words. Lilly wasn’t sure if it was anger or fear. She hoped the
latter.
Dallas
bound first one ankle and then the other, spreading her legs wide.
The unmistakable musky odor of her lust filled the air.
Good
.
Even better than she hoped. Males couldn’t resist the smell of
an aroused Seraphelium. It was almost as good as her touch. Time to
put a plan in motion.
Rolling
her head side to side, Lilly groaned as if waking from a long
slumber.
“
Lilly?”
Dallas’ voice was soft, her name drifting off his tongue. It
had neither the hard edge of anger nor the brittle tone of a man
trying to control his lust. She wanted nothing more than to drown in
its whiskey heat. But that was only a pipe dream.
“
Dallas?”
Her eyes fluttered as she lifted her head and let it roll along her
shoulders. She focused on the man kneeling between her legs, his wide
palms warm on her thighs. A perfect position for her to do the most
damage. “Where am I?”
The
deep brown of Dallas’ eyes betrayed no emotion but concern dug
a deep V in his brow. “Do you remember what happened?”
Yes,
she remembered every detail
. And these two males would pay for
having gotten in the way of her capturing the Znedu. “No. I…I
remember going back to the tavern in hopes you were there, but I
didn’t find you…so I…” Her skin flushed
from the lie, but she hoped he believed it was her shyness over their
liaison. “I decided to find another client. A Znedu I believe.
We’d just agreed to terms when a fight broke out—”
“
Oh,
that’s fucking bullshit.” Thaegan strode around the
chair, standing behind Dallas. The moment he caught her scent, the
Ka’al’s shoulders stiffened. The muscles of his jaw
bunched and the ridges along his forehead and nose pulsed with barely
controlled emotion. “She’s lying,” the Ka’al
said through clenched teeth. “You don’t remember trying
to take a slice out of Dallas?” He crossed his arms over his
chest, his fists clenching and unclenching as he fought for control.
From
the bulge in his pants, she wondered how much longer he could keep
from touching her. She needed to get free. At this point, with no
reaction to her scent from Dallas, it seemed the big alien was her
only hope. No doubt the Ka’al and she were still bound by the
energy thread she’d created in the alley. Lilly ramped her
energy up a notch, hoping Thaegan would step closer.
“
I’m
sure I don’t know what you mean.” She was stalling for
time, trying to figure out how Dallas could be so close and not feel
the sensual current crackling in the air. Her gaze flitted from the
Ka’al’s obvious arousal to Dallas. But it wasn’t
the fly of the human’s jeans that drew her attention. It was
the gaping hole at his thigh. The flesh was covered in dried blood
and showed only the slightest hint of the deep wound the dagger had
carved out. Even with the medical advancements she’d seen in
deep space, nothing prepared her for the sight. “Dallas, your
leg…how’s that possible?”
Color
flooded Dallas’ cheeks and he stood abruptly.
Thaegan
growled low. “I’m afraid you don’t get to ask the
questions here, woman.”
“
But
he’s—”
“
Just
fine,” Dallas cut her off. “No thanks to you.”
“
It’s
not like I meant to—”
“
You,”
Thaegan shook his finger at Lilly, the hatred narrowing his golden
eyes to dangerous slits, “need to stop talking. I’ve
never hurt a female. But there’s always a first time.”
“
Really,
I—”
A
deep growl bounced off the wooden walls of the cabin as the Ka’al
lunged for her. Dallas was quicker. His fist shot out, catching the
alien in the jaw. Thaegan stumbled back and Dallas stepped between
her and the angry alien.
“
Don’t
do it, Thaegan. I’m warning you.”
The
hulking Ka’al’s stunned expression would have been
comical if it weren’t for the animosity sluicing off the men.
“
How
the hell can you defend her after what she’s done?”
Thaegan absently rubbed his jaw. “She
needs
to tell us
the truth. A little
persuasion
would be a satisfying means to
that end.”
Dallas
worked his fist, no doubt shaking out the pain. “We’ll
get her to tell us the truth, but not with violence, Thaegan.”
The
Ka’al screamed in frustration. “Let me prove to you how
dangerous she is.”
“
What
the hell?” she countered. “A tiny woman against the two
of you? How can I be dangerous? Especially trussed up like someone’s
Sunday dinner.”
Dallas
turned slowly, his eyes darkening with some very negative emotions.
“You know, Lilly, I’ve been wondering the same thing. I
have no doubt whatsoever that you controlled first me then the Znedu
and now Thaegan. I just don’t know
how
you’re
doing it.”
“
But
I
do.” Thaegan stepped around Dallas and the human
didn’t try to stop him this time. “I’ve got you
figured out,
Seraphelium
.”
It
took all her effort to keep from reacting to the word the Ka’al
spat out like a curse. She forced a laugh that sounded hollow even to
her own ears. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,
asshole
.” She looked around Thaegan to where Dallas
stood. The man’s broad shoulders were thrown back, his arms
crossed over his chest, as if protecting his heart. She should have
expected Dallas’ resentment after she’d used him, but to
see it so visibly written in his hard expression, stabbed at her
heart. She laughed again, this time with more conviction, trying to
dismiss Thaegan’s statement. “Dallas, do you have any
idea what this Ka’al is blathering on about?”
“
It
appears Thaegan is the only one here who knows exactly what’s
going on. As his partner, I have to defer to him. If he thinks an
interrogation is the only way for us to move forward, then so be it.
I’m not going to stand in his way.”
Obviously,
Dallas had decided to let the Ka’al do some
persuading
.
Cold fingers of dread walked up her spine and lifted the hairs on the
back of her neck. She forced herself to meet Thaegan’s critical
gaze. Her body chilled as fear knotted in her gut. Lilly didn’t
know these men. Had no idea what they wanted or who they worked for.
If one thing had been confirmed for her in the last couple of hours,
these men were on a mission. The only question was which side of the
law held their allegiance.