Passionate Desire (11 page)

Kuarto took the chip and went to his system to catch up on Heather’s background. The chip was something that fascinated him. He’d never seen anything like it. It was small and clear, like a crystal. It was pretty enough someone could wear it as a piece of jewelry and no one would know what it was.

The details of her file he would look at later. Working through Heather’s information, he found she had been pretty healthy most of her life. The data from when she met Storm was what he needed to go through. As the device in her back started to disintegrate he learned that her Vespian doctor found abnormalities in the way her body reacted. That’s when he figured out she was built to protect herself. The dreams she had when her life was threatened was one on of them. The way the data for her true race stopped loading when it was close to completing her DNA strand was another.

The other doctor never mentioned her being genetically engineered but the data was all there. How did he miss it?

So why did she have such a surge of energy? Could she still be absorbing the enzymes from the device and that was what caused this? According to what he read that should have happened several months ago. He needed to run a few tests of his own to see what was going on.

Kuarto crossed to the bed Heather had been placed on and sat next to her. “I’m sure you’ve had your share of being poked and prodded but I need to run a few more tests.”

She nodded.

“Not here.” Storm’s voice was flat.

“Exactly where do you wish me to do this? The sooner I run them the better off we are.” He found Storm one of the most annoying men he had ever met.

“Our ship has everything you need.” Storm scooped up his mate and headed out the door.

“It’s her safety that makes him act this way,” said his sister. “I promise he can be quite charming when he’s not worried about her.”

“I sure hope so because so far I’m not impressed. He’s rude and obnoxious and I don’t see what she sees in him.”

“Trust me they belong together,” Toki laughed. “Come on, if we don’t keep up he just might come back after us.”

“Let me make sure I have everything I need and wipe the computer clean so the grouch won’t want to blow up my place.”

“Follow first, then gather your things.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him behind her. “Have no idea where he parked the ship and he could be just obnoxious enough not to tell us.”

“But he needs me.”

“I know my brother, believe me he knows ways around that.” She took off at a trot to catch up with him.

He sighed and followed suit. The sleek black ship surprised him. He didn’t realize how close Storm and Heather had landed to his home without setting off a perimeter alarm. The interior was pretty simple, a large command chair, surrounded by consoles and screens. The screens were already on and Storm was barking out orders to the computer system.

Heather didn’t look any better and that bothered him. She should have perked back up like she did the first time.

This time Storm stayed out of his way, although he did glower at him and watch his every move. Everything he found centered around her mind. That seemed to be where the problem was. “Have you two been able to read each other’s thoughts?”

Storm had been speaking to the doctor on the other ship. The moment Kuarto spoke he muted the sound and turned to face him. “Doctor, I know you don’t know Vespian protocol so I will let that go but please refrain from blurting any old thing out. We don’t know who we can trust.”

“My heart.” Heather held up her hand which he took and placed on his heart. “You need to let him do his job his way. Remember how it was when you were trying to teach me all the little intricacies of Vespian protocol? It was a mess.”

“Are you chastising me in front of people?” He said it with a smile, but Kuarto wasn’t sure how happy he was about it. His eyes had a hard edge.

“You can punish me later, when we’re alone.”

That brought a big smile to his face and all of his features softened. “Then I should let your brother get to work on healing you so I can have my way with you.” He turned back to the screen and finished his conversation with the doctor.

She nodded. Keeping her voice soft so she wouldn’t be picked up by the communication system she answered, “Yes, we’ve been able to read each other’s minds to a point.”

“Care to elaborate?” He gave her a shot which brought back the color to her face quickly.

“We can sense what the other is feeling emotionally. Like I know when he’s really mad. We sense each other’s distress.” She paused for a moment as a soft blush filled her cheeks. “We’ve also have shared each other’s orgasm.”

“But actually talked to each other?”

“I don’t think so. I know I have said things to him and he seems to have heard me but we’ve never carried on a conversation except when I was kidnapped. Then he was able to enter my mind and be a part of the fake world Ialog had created for me.”

“Really?” He looked up at Storm who had finished his conversation with the doctor and joined them. “How did you do that?”

“My uncle. He’s our religious leader and he knew what to do. Drank some very rank potions he gave me and we had her ring to help me find her.” Storm gave the information under duress. “Why?”

“I’m wondering if that will help us now. I’m not sure what is going on inside her head and I need to. I can give you some medication that will allow you to connect with her. I need to know what you see. There could be some sort of blockage going on that won’t show up on any medical scanner.”

“Blockage?” he asked.

“Everything I have read said Heather has an ability to protect herself. It’s highly possible that’s what is going on here. She was fine until Al showed up and I’m wondering if he was the trigger to causing all of this.”

Storm nodded. He climbed into the chair with her and held her close. “Physical contact helps us reach each other better.”

“I’m going to give you both the shot.” Kuarto knew better. It was an excuse to touch her. “Heather you just relax and allow the drug to let you sleep. Storm will join you soon.” He pressed the hypo against her throat and watched as she drifted off. “Your turn.”

Storm closed his eyes as the medication took effect.

“You should be able to hear and talk to me, Storm.” What he gave him should keep him alert but allow Storm to reach into Heather’s mind. He had given Heather a different shot so she would get a little rest and would give him a chance to focus on Mr. Overprotective.

“I can.”

“What do you see?” Kuarto placed a reader on him so he could keep an eye on his vitals.

“Nothing. It seems hazy or smoky in here.”

He wondered why her mind would cause that. What was it trying to hide? “Keep looking. Center yourself on finding Heather.”

Storm remained quiet for a few moments before he went deathly still. “Damn, he’s here.”

“Who is?” An alarm on his monitor beeped as Storm’s heart started beating faster. Whatever he saw frightened him.

“Al. I can see him standing in a corner.”

“Has he seen you?”

“Don’t think so. Looks like his eyes are closed.”

“Force the haze toward Al. Try to make him disappear from sight.” That could be what the catalyst was. If he left a small piece of his mind behind from when he had kidnapped Heather, he’d know when he got close to her because it would activate. No matter what sort of disguise she might have used. It could have started to activate when he came to the house which made her shut everything down.

“Okay, he’s gone from sight.”

“Then continue to find your mate.”

“Is that what caused the problem?”

“I think so, but we need to look around more to be sure.”

“Why not just destroy it?”

“Sometimes that type of tactic is the worst thing to do when it comes to the mind.” That was something he expected from Storm. “What if destroying that takes her with it?” That shut him up. He was easier to deal with when he wasn’t awake and agitated. “Do you see your mate yet?”

“No, just a lot of space. Wait.” A smile spread across his face. “There she is and she’s waiting for me.”

Storm stopped talking to him so he was probably talking to his mate. He needed them to look for another source. If Al put one in there it was a possibility there was a second or third.

****

Storm smiled at the sight of his mate. They stood together, hand over each other’s heart for a few moments in silence. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” She looked around. “I don’t quite remember why we’re here again.”

“You passed out on me. The doctor had a visitor I recognized as the man who tried to be your love interest when you were trapped in that fake world. Do you remember what he looked like?”

“No, but he was in my mind for a while. It was possible he did something to block me from remembering any encounter with him.”

He was afraid of that. She could have met him many times and not even be aware of it. “I passed a sentinel further back. It looks like Al. Did you create it?” He didn’t think she did since she didn’t remember what the man looked like but that could be her mind’s way of showing she did know who he was.

“Sentinel? No, I don’t remember creating anything like that.”

“The doctor believes your mind can show us why everything shut down. That sentinel might be one reason and he wants us to look for others.”

“Do we know what we’re looking for?”

“No.” He took her hand in his and walked with her. “By the way, I do like the way you’re dressed.”

“How am I dressed?” She didn’t even look down to see what she had on. She just looked at him.

“You’re not.”

“Then we’re dressed the same.” She smiled at him. “But why would we need clothes in our minds anyway?”

“We don’t. It’s just I know how modest you can be. You were dressed the last time I was here.”

“But that was different. I was seeing something someone else created.” She hugged his arm as they moved around. “If we’re going to come here more I think I should decorate.”

Out of nowhere appeared Storm’s chair.

“I see I’m not the only one who likes the chair.”

“I never said I didn’t like the chair. You never gave me a chance to tell you what I thought of it. Besides that’s not something I thought up.”

“What do you mean?” He tried to act innocent, but he knew he had been thinking about that chair the moment she mentioned decorating her mind.

“You know exactly what I mean. I can see it in your face.”

He couldn’t argue. He pulled her into his arms and gave her a quick kiss. “We’ll get to that in a little bit then. We need to finish looking for whatever caused you to shut down.”

Heather wasn’t really looking, but it was her mind they were in so it was possible that she couldn’t see what he could. “What is that?” Storm pointed to an odd object hanging above their head.

“Protection.” It came out quickly and automatically.

“Is that what keeps you safe?”

“Yes.”

Okay don’t mess with that. There was a second one almost identical a very close to the first one. “And that one?”

“What one?”

“Do you not see the second security device?”

“No.”

He looked around and didn’t find anything else. It was time to tell the doctor what he found. “Doctor, I have found two items that Heather didn’t recognize. One was that sentinel I had already told you about. The other is a mimic of her protection device.”

“Thank you, Storm. You can come out now.” He received no reply.

Storm heard him, but had no plans of leaving his mate until she was ready for him to go. He waited for her.

“You okay?” She touched his face.

“I am. The doctor gave me permission to leave you.”

“But you’re not ready, are you?” Those bright violet eyes gazed up at him with such trust.

“I’ll leave when you’re ready for me to go.” He touched her soft cheek.

She watched his face, not saying a thing. He was ready for her to fade away and they’d be back at the ship. Instead she smiled at him. “You realize he will know.”

“Know what?” He touched her heart. His started beating a little harder.

“Storm, he’s my brother. The one who seems to join us every time we’re intimate.”

“Oh, that.” He had her in his arms now, nibbling on her neck. “Does it bother you that he will know who has been plaguing him? And are you sure he actually joins us each time?”

“You heard him beg us to leave him alone.” She tilted her head so he could nibble on her throat. “I’m just not sure I’m ready to admit we’ve been the ones to take him along with us each time.”

“He’s going to figure it out sooner or later.” He picked her up and walked to the chair. His desire to have her was stronger than keeping the doctor out of their minds. It might not be the smartest thing to do, but he needed to prove she was his. “Why not now?”

She had no answer so he made the choice for her. He climbed onto the chair and brought her with him. He laid her down, hit the lever with his foot and surged into her the moment the chair had shifted to line them up.

He felt her desire spiral. Her sheath tightened around him. She moved with him as the friction they created became all encompassing. Storm took his time though. He wanted her and her brother to know how loved and cherished she was. If Kuarto was going to find out now, it had to be right.

He did long deep strokes just the way Heather liked them. He could feel the heat start to build in her belly. Her muscles gripped him harder, making each plunge in more delicious than the last. Her release grabbed them and flung them to the stars. Their minds entwined, her joy was his.

Just as they started their return to their bodies his started, sending them back out. The powerful release left them a little breathless. White hot joy filled them as they floated together.

He was there with them in her mind, glaring at them. “Damn it! I should have known! It was you two all along!”

Chapter 6

Storm’s eyes opened first. He touched Heather’s face with his fingertips and watched as her eyes fluttered open. Then he looked at her brother. Anger came off him in waves.