by Tana Stone
“Well, I’m sure you must need to tell someone.” Madeleine gave her a sweet smile. “Don’t let us keep you.”
“Nonsense.” The queen took her arm, her grip again firmer than expected. “You and your little friend might be in danger. I can only assume the alien intruder is after you. No one would have a reason to attack a Spartosian.”
I could think of a few reasons, Madeleine thought to herself.
Before she could come up with a reasonable protest, she was handed off to the two guards.
“Take our guest back up to her tower quarters,” the queen instructed, flicking her fingers at Serge as an afterthought. “And the little one. I need to implement procedures to lock down the palace and put the city on high alert. If there are intruders on our planet, we will find them.”
Madeleine didn’t know where Brok was. He’d dropped her hand once the queen had appeared, and she hadn’t sensed him standing near her. Part of her hoped he’d snuck away, but another part missed his comforting touch. Even though he was invisible, she liked the feel of his large hand holding hers. It made her feel safe, which she hadn’t felt in a long time, and she didn’t even know was something she missed.
Safety was something she’d done everything to avoid for years. If it was deadly, she tried it. She’d sought out a paramedic job in the most dangerous Chicago neighborhood. She ran headlong into dodgy situations, usually without thinking twice. She craved the rush of knowing every shift could be her last. The awareness of impending death felt better to her than being shocked by it like when her parents had died. Besides, she’d been the only one of her family to survive the train crash, and only one of three people altogether. Beating the odds was her thing. Playing it safe was not. Of course, if his cloaking device malfunctioned again, they would be far from safe.
Maddie scanned the corridor for any hint of the Drexian—although she knew she should not want to see him flickering into view again—as the queen swept off down the corridor with her long skirt fluttering behind her. One of the guards reached for Madeleine’s arm, but she shook him off.
“We’re fine following you, thanks.”
The blond males exchanged a look, but one led the way while the other brought up the rear as they made their way back down the long hallway. Madeleine peered behind her. Was Brok following them somewhere?
Instead of taking the hidden stairs, the guards led them through a long tunnel and into another building. Several groups of guards rushed by them, and it was clear that the energy in the city had changed. She peeked out one of the covered stone walkways spanning a canal and spotted several boats filled with guards speeding by. The boats filled with residents laughing and lounging were nowhere to be seen.
Should she try to make a run for it before they reached the tower? Madeleine glanced behind her, nodding at the guard bringing up the rear. The guys were bigger than her—Serge was just about the only guy she’d ever met who wasn’t—but that didn’t mean she couldn’t take them. A roundhouse kick should be able to take out the guy in back before the front guy knew what was happening. But once she eliminated the two guards, where would she and Serge go, considering the security in the city had tightened and she wasn’t sure where the Drexian had gone?
Swiveling her head, Maddie tried to look for any indication that he was following them. She couldn’t hear anything, although Serge wasn’t exactly being quiet as he half walked, half lurched next to her. She was itching to make a run for it, but she tamped down her instinct. Patience had never been one of her virtues, but she didn’t want to blow her cover so soon. She’d convinced the queen she had nothing to do with her son’s attack. Taking out the two guards would not help her case. She huffed out a breath and kept walking.
Even though the guards had matched their strides to Madeleine’s slow steps as she helped Serge, and their progress over the walkways and down corridors was plodding, they were soon trudging up the curving stairs leading to their rooms.
“I still can’t believe these guys haven’t figured out inclinators,” Serge said in a stage whisper.
They reached the top of the tower and the landing with two rooms across from each other. Madeleine couldn’t help but feel defeated. They were right back where they’d started from, and no closer to getting off the planet than when Brok had found her.
Had he been right? Should she have gone with him to the shuttle and let him come back for Serge? She looked down at the Gatazoid and felt a rush of affection for the wedding planner. No way. If they’d shut down the city and Brok had been unable to get Serge out, she never would have forgiven herself. Besides, they’d have more chances to get out, right?
The loud boom of the door to the top of the tower slamming shut behind them on the landing made both her and Serge jump. A click told her that this time, they’d been locked in.
“So much for the escape plan,” Serge grumbled, hobbling down the short hall toward his room.
“I hope the captain doesn’t get caught.” Madeleine opened her door, noting that the light spilling in from her window was fading fast. She crossed to the window and looked down, seeing patrols scouring the canal below.
“He’s invisible.” Serge leaned one hand on her doorway to take the weight off his injured foot. “How can they catch him?”
Maddie rubbed her bare arms. “If that device of his fails again, pretty easily.”
There was a flicker in front of her, and then the Inferno Force captain appeared in her room. “It will not fail again, and I told you I was not leaving without you.”
Serge staggered back with a hand pressed to his heart. “Do not scare me like that! I almost had a heart attack. And do not think that because I have two of them that I’m willing to spare one.” He glanced behind him as if he expected Spartosian guards to burst in at any second. “How did you manage to follow us like that?”
“I was behind the last male and slipped in right before he closed the door. Luckily, you two made enough noise walking that no one heard me.”
Serge sniffed. “Well, I am injured, thank you very much.” He focused on the captain, cocking his head to one side. “You know, for a Drexian warrior, you aren’t wearing much.”
Brok’s face flushed. “I had to ditch my wet clothes so I wouldn’t be detected.”
“Oh, I’m not complaining.” Serge winked at him then spun on his good foot. “Now I’m going to put my leg up and leave you two to figure out how we’re going to escape from a locked tower.”
Madeleine watched him go, then her gaze went to Brok. She couldn’t help flashing back to that amazing kiss and his hard body pressed up against her. The same practically naked, hard body that was only steps away from her now.
He’s just here to rescue you, Maddie, she repeated to herself. That kiss was all part of keeping you safe. He’s a badass Drexian warrior sent to bring you back. It was his mission. Nothing else.
Her gaze raked up his body to his inked arms, and heat pulsed between her legs.
It was a fucking shame, was what it was.
Chapter Twelve
Why was she looking at him that way? Brok was very aware that they were alone, and he wore almost nothing. It hadn’t been a big deal when he was invisible, of course, but now he fought the urge to cover himself with his hands. And he would have to cover himself if she continued to stare at him in the way she was. His cock was already twitching in response, and it would be almost impossible to hide an erection in nothing but boxer briefs that barely contained him when he wasn’t hard.
“Care to explain yourself?” she finally said.
He instinctively glanced down. “What?”
“Why are you locked in here with me?” Her hot gaze flashed with irritation. “We should have taken out those two guards while we had the chance and made a run for it. Now the city is crawling with security, and we’re never going to get out.”
He almost laughed, relieved she hadn’t been accusing him of getting aroused. Then he saw how irate she was, her hands braced on he
r hips and her foot tapping on the stone floor. He was not used to having his command decisions challenged, but he was also not used to rescuing human females. He’d heard that they were not always the easiest to manage.
“Like you said, security is everywhere. There was no way I could get you and the Gatazoid out without being seen.”
“Serge. The Gatazoid is called Serge.”
“Serge,” he repeated. “I couldn’t get Serge out in the condition he’s in.”
Madeleine waved a hand at his door. “He’s a drama queen. I’m sure his foot isn’t that bad.”
“I heard that, missy,” Serge’s muffled voice called from the other side of the hall separating their rooms. “I’ll have you know my toe is hanging on by a tendon, and I abhor dramatics.”
He went silent and Madeleine shook her head. “Now he’s giving me the silent treatment.” She shook her head. “I thought you Drexians were supposed to be legendary soldiers. Serge has been telling me all about you guys for weeks, and how you were going to swoop in and rescue us. So far, I’m not impressed.”
Her words were like a punch to his gut, but also lit a fire deep within him. After thwarting him every step of the way, now she was complaining about the outcome? “You insisted we find Serge, so we did. Every decision has consequences, Madeleine. If I blow my cover, who will get you to my cloaked ship? This is a very sensitive mission to a planet that refuses to have contact with other species. We cannot fly in with laser canons firing.”
“I thought that’s exactly what Inferno Force did. Fly in with guns blazing. Shoot first, ask question later, right?”
What had Serge been telling this female? “Not in this case. We don’t know enough about Spartos to lead an attack, nor do we want a war with them if we can avoid it. We are already at war with the Kronock.”
She shot a look at him. “You can’t tell me that a captain from Inferno Force really wants to sneak around like this. I’ve heard the stories from Serge. I know what you guys do.” Her gaze flitted to his scar. “I know you’re a fighter.”
He flinched, more from her allusion to his battle scar than from her words. “Because you can see the evidence of my battles?”
Usually Brok didn’t think about the scar on his face. It was something that he’d grown accustomed to, but he hadn’t forgotten that the long cut down one side of his face was still an angry, pink slash that marred his skin. It was why he didn’t keep a mirror in his quarters. Seeing her reaction to the scar reminded him that he was far from the young, handsome warrior he used to be. And his chance of taking a tribute bride was long past.
He’d been on the list once, but things had gone badly when the human who’d been selected for him had seen his disfigured face. Thinking back to the tribute bride’s teary eyes and trembling chin made him clench his hands into fists. He’d never forget that look as long as he lived, nor the lesson it had hammered home. He was not worthy of a mate. Remembering the tribute bride who’d rejected him, he scowled at Madeleine.
“I didn’t mean—“ she began to say, her face stricken.
He cut her off, his voice rising. “You are correct. I am used to fighting and sweating and bleeding. I have cut down more enemy soldiers than I can count. I have blown entire battleships out of the sky.” He gestured to his scar. “I am no stranger to pain or death, which you can clearly see. But you are not one of my Inferno Force warriors, and I cannot risk your life because I crave battle.”
She swallowed as she looked up at him. “You don’t need to worry about me. I can handle myself.” Her jaw was tight as her dark eyes sparked. “And I’m not afraid of death or pain, either.”
He closed the distance between them in a single stride until he was towering over her. “I never said I did not fear death or pain. You should fear them, too.”
Madeleine jutted her chin out. “Well, I don’t.”
His eyes went to her lips, and he fought the urge to trace his finger along the bow shape of them. So much bravado, but he could see in her eyes that she was hiding a great deal of pain. He knew, because he’d seen the same haunted look in his own reflection. “Then I must fear them for you. If you will not keep yourself safe, it becomes my responsibility.”
She let out a weak laugh, but her breath was shallow as she tipped her head back to look up at him. “Keeping me out of danger isn’t your responsibility. I’m no one’s responsibility. I can take care of myself.”
He cupped her face in one hand, dragging a callused thumb across her jawbone. Her body tensed but she didn’t pull away. “I know you are tougher than your stature would indicate, and I suspect you have been taking care of yourself for a while, but you are wrong about one thing.”
She didn’t say a word, but her lips parted slightly.
“You are my responsibility, Madeleine. The moment I pledged to find you and bring you home, you became mine.” His thumb brushed her lower lip and a breath escaped her. “And I will not let anything or anyone—including you—stop me.”
“You think you can tell me what to do?”
“You agreed to obey me if we went after Serge, did you not?” He shrugged, wanting desperately to lean down and taste her again, to capture her mouth in his and feel her warm lips surrender to him. “If you do not want to listen to me, that is fine. I can always throw you over my shoulder.”
She let out a small indignant sound. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Brok met her eyes. “Wouldn’t I? Do not think I am teasing about my desire to keep you safe, Madeleine. And I am an Inferno Force captain who is used to giving orders and used to being obeyed. I will get you safely off this planet.”
Her dark pupils were wide. “I believe you.”
They were so close, he felt her breath tickling his own lips as she exhaled quickly, never taking her eyes off him. Need pounded through him as he held her face in one hand and kept the other by his side, balled into a tight fist. His cock was hard, the thin, black fabric of his underwear straining to keep it from springing out, and he knew he only need move forward a fraction for it to press against her.
As desperately as he wanted her, he knew he should not. Kissing her in the corridor had been a mistake, but one driven by necessity. He’d had to silence her and be as close to her as possible for the cloaking device to work. Kissing her had been a slip, but at least he could tell himself that there had been a greater purpose. And it had worked. She had not been seen.
Now, he had no such excuse. They were alone in her room. He was the Drexian warrior tasked with rescuing her and bringing her back to the Boat to be matched. He was not her mate. He could never be her mate. She could never want him. Not really. He should not even be touching her like he was, although he could not seem to move his hand from the softness of her face.
Brok closed his eyes for a moment, savoring her plush lips and the fast beat of her pulse beneath his fingers. She is not yours, he reminded himself, the words making a pit form in his stomach.
“Captain?” Her whisper made his eyes fly open and lock on hers—molten and needy. “I believe you.”
For a moment, he thought he saw desire in her gaze, but then he dropped his hand from her face and stepped back, hitching in an uneven breath and turning away abruptly to hide his arousal from her. “As long as we have that straight.”
Chapter Thirteen
Madeleine lay on her back, her eyes trained on the ceiling. Moonlight bounced off the stone and kept the room from being bathed in darkness, but the city outside the window still bustled with activity. Not the singing and laughing she was used to hearing in Spartos City, but the hum of boats searching the canals and the pounding of fists on doors as houses and buildings were searched for the intruders.
Of course, it was all fruitless. They would find nothing, since the intruder who’d attacked the Spartosian prince wasn’t on the loose in the city. He was lying on the floor next to her bed.
She didn’t need to look over to know that the Inferno Force captain was stretched out on the stone, h
is arms folded behind his head as he slept. She could hear his steady breaths. She didn’t need to glance down to know that the soft glow of the moonlight illuminated his broad chest muscles and made the bronze of his skin look like granite. Nor did she need to look away from the ceiling to know that his tight, black boxer-briefs barely contained the huge cock she’d seen stretching against the fabric when he’d turned away from her so suddenly.
No, Madeleine was all too aware of the gorgeous Drexian laying so close to her she could drape her arm over the side of the bed and touch him. Not that she was going to do that. She definitely didn’t trust herself to touch him. Not after she’d almost gone weak at the knees when he’d stroked her face. Not to mention how she’d reacted when he’d kissed her in the corridor. For someone who prided herself on always being in charge, she did not seem to be in charge of her reactions when it came to the Drexian captain.
She let out a huff of breath. How could he sleep so soundly? He’d taken up a position on her floor to guard over her. At least, that was what he’d said, but almost as soon as she’d gotten in bed and he’d insisted on sleeping on the floor, he’d drifted off and she remained awake, thinking about everything that had happened and letting her thoughts spiral out of control.
“Typical,” she whispered to herself.
“What is typical?” His low, deep voice startled her, and she jerked her head to the side.
Although he hadn’t moved from where his huge body was one long, lean line that extended beyond the end of the bed, his eyes were open and watching her.
“I thought you were sleeping.” Her heart thumped in her chest, as she stared at the moonlight illuminating his bare skin and making his dark chest tattoo look even fiercer.
“I know.”
Was he grinning? She folded her arms over her chest and pivoted her head back to stare up at the ceiling. How long had he been watching her? And why was her pulse going a mile a minute?