by C. M. Owens
“He’s claiming to be an officer?” I murmur distractedly while reading over the file for our nameless suspect.
“He’s not claiming anything anymore. He said to send Araya Crush because we weren’t worth him wasting his breath in explanation,” she growls.
I take a step back and tilt my head curiously.
“He asked for me personally?”
“Yeah. He said you’d have him out of there in five minutes. Nicholas is in there with him right now trying to get him to talk.”
I bypass the viewing room and go straight into the steel box where my suspect sits. I gasp when I see the man cuffed into place, and he leans back casually as his eyes catch mine - a wry grin cocks up the corner of one side of his mouth.
“Araya, do you know this man?” Nicholas asks as I stare into the hybrid blue eyes across the table.
“Yes, Sir,” I grumble. “This is Captain Hale Banner of the United and the captain of the Seminole compound.”
Nicholas’s eyes widen as I walk over to unshackle Hale from the blade cutting cuffs.
“I’m terribly sorry, Captain Banner. I never got the chance to meet you when I was in Seminole, but now I do remember seeing a picture of you there. I checked for credentials but-”
“I was undercover,” he murmurs while his eyes stare into mine.
My body grazes him as I unlock the second set of cuffs, and I feel his breath hitch as his eyes burn against my back.
“Your men did confiscate all the blood packs, correct?” Hale prompts.
“Yes they did. We’ll begin burning them immediately if you believe them to be undiluted,” Nicholas offers.
“They are. I can smell the purity of it. If you don’t mind, I’d like to stay until the results come back. I’d also like to stay and watch the burn. I was asked to follow this through, and I intend to do that,” he mumbles.
“That’s no problem at all. I’ll acquire you a room, and we should have the results by morning.”
“Thank you, Captain Hawkins.”
“My pleasure.”
Hale turns to me as I sit down on the edge of the table in the interrogation room. Nicholas walks out to leave me alone with the badly bruised up hybrid.
“You need blood and a shower, Captain Banner. I’ll send someone to your room with clothes,” I murmur while assessing his damage.
The streaks of blood trickle over his body in hellacious streams, and his clothes are tattered as well as stained by the red tale of death. His lips remain perfectly intact as they dare me to make a fool of myself, and I shiver under his unrelenting gaze.
“I would appreciate that, Ms. Crush,” he smolders out, his heated tone slicing through my icy shield.
His formal air doesn’t bother me as much as mine does him. What is killing me is seeing him here without Brazen to bring me back to reality. I quickly go to leave, and he grabs my hand in his.
“Is Captain Mordel waiting on you, or could you help me find my room?” he sizzles out, his eyes claiming mine once more.
I stagger like an idiot, letting him know the effect he has on me, and then I shake it off to bring forth my very forced, unimpressed and uninterested tone.
“My boyfriend is on detail, but he’ll be back in two days. I have an errand to run, so Sappy can show you to your room, Captain. Will you need anything else?”
He smirks lightly as if he’s indulging in a private joke, and I can only assume some dirty, twisted image has crossed his mind given my question. I do my best to keep my composure, but thankfully, he starts walking away instead of torturing me further with those captivating eyes.
“I think that will be all, Ms. Crush,” he mutters on his way out, and I’m relieved to finally expel the breath I’ve been clinging to as he walks out.
Fuck my life and all of its surprises.
I decide I’ve had all I can take for one night, and I’m ready to sleep off this horrible day. The stairs creak beneath my feet as they whisper about my wild fantasies going awry inside my fucked up head, but I ignore them as I travel back up to my apartment to change clothes. It’s been a brutal night, and I just want to sleep.
Before I reach the top, a familiar, gut wrenching sound stings my ears. The hollow sound of distant gunshots ring out through the corridor, growing louder when the doors open for officers to run out. They fade out again as the doors close behind them, and then the siren starts wailing fiercely when I turn to run back.
Really? Fucking really?
I rush down the stairs, and I check my guns to make sure my safety is off before jerking them free from their holsters. The gate to Hershian suddenly explodes free from its hinges as several men are sent flying backwards through the air - punishment for their close proximity.
“What the fuck is going on?” I screech to a man.
“They’re the blood runners, Ms. Crush.”
“Fuck.”
I start firing at the mass of men rushing in, their blood spewing free from their veins as I discharge my rounds rapidly. Grayson is suddenly at my side. He starts to use his gift, and I slap him on the back of the head before stepping in front of a shower of bullets driving toward him. They rattle off of me, leaving my shirt tattered, torn, and almost transparent.
“Don’t use your gift if you don’t have olophine!” I scold. “Don’t use it around men like this unless you’re out of ammo.”
“Why?” he yells.
I turn to shoot several before launching a grenade, and then I cover Grayson to keep the blast from slapping him. He slowly rises up, and I try to see through the clouds of smoke.
“Because men like this will stop at nothing to study you,” I mumble. “You don’t need to draw anymore attention to yourself than necessary. That’s lesson number one. Now grab a fucking vest before you get yourself killed.”
“Okay, okay,” he concedes, and then he rushes over to the armory.
“Araya,” Hale screams just as a new wave of bullets come flying at me, and he releases a breath of relief when he sees them shatter against my unyielding skin.
“You think I’d be out here without my invincibility up?” I scoff.
“I don’t think when it comes to you. You know that already.”
My eyes lose their grip on the fight when they become paralyzed by his. He grabs my side to jerk me to his body, and then his grip actually becomes painful when he throws me to the ground. A blast erupts from his hands just as I look up to see they’ve fired electrical bolts toward me.
The violently jerking strands that have been launched from the energy guns are quickly brought to a halt by Hale’s blasts. Suddenly the rest of the invaders begin bursting into ashes in front of my eyes.
Oh no.
I look to see his eyes have dilated, and I grab olophine from my pocket while rushing over to him. He rips the vial from my hand, and then he injects himself quickly as the fallen members of Hershian begin to climb back to their feet. The brevity of the attack shouldn’t have caused this much damage. The whole damn front half of the compound has been smothered by the fires caused by the explosions, and people begin scrambling to extinguish the scattered blazers still blaring.
A group of rushing rescuers run between us, and I get shuffled far away despite my clawing attempts to stay with Hale. Smoke rumbles toward us when they douse the larger fires with gallons and gallons of water, and it forces a heavy cloud that obscures all visibility. The smoky residue stings my eyes as I struggle to find Hale. My hand grazes so many chests, arms, ribs, but none of them belong to the man I know too well by feel alone. I have to know he’s not savage right now. He could kill everyone here if he doesn’t find me as soon as he wants me.
“Hale,” I screech, my voice begging him to answer me.
I can hear humans coughing when their weaker lungs can’t filter out the thick smoke. I taste the burning wood, and I hear the sniffles mingling with the scent of tears as everyone tries to wrap their heads around the attack they just endured. A hand grips mine, and I look over to
see Grayson.
“I thought you said not to use our gifts. Why’d you use yours?” he growls.
“I didn’t.”
My eyes continue trying to see through the smoke where only my ears are guiding me. Grayson’s grip becomes more insistent as does his tone.
“Who did?”
“Hale. His savage took over for a minute. I need to find him to make sure the olophine brought him down.”
“Fuck. He can blow shit up? I thought you used your gift thingy to throw some dynamite or something at them.”
“Stop talking, and help me find him!” I admonish.
“Hale!” I scream in panic.
“I’m over here,” he snaps, and I rush in the direction of his voice until I plow into him, my head thudding against his chest.
His hands wrap around me to keep me from falling after my accidental collision, and then I pull his face down to check his eyes. He jerks his head away, and then he pushes me off him angrily.
Damn. He’s not my Hale anymore.
“I’m fine, Araya. Just go check on the others,” he barks.
Tears try to sting my eyes as if disappointment has just stabbed me through my heart. His eyes cast daggers when they offer me one last glance, and then they avoid me completely. I almost wish he was savage. Savage Hale can’t keep any secrets from me. Savage Hale loves me no matter what, and he can’t fight any feelings for me.
“I was just worried you were-”
“I said I’m fine,” he snarls, and then he darts off toward the compound, leaving me to shiver in the chill he left behind.
I take a deep, steadying breath before turning to see some of the smoke has lifted. The fallen towers and crumbling stones litter the ground that once only held dust and sand. Angelica is helping to disperse packs of blood, and Grayson kisses her on top of the head as he lowers down to help her.
Tears have started rolling down her cheeks from the horrific sights her sheltered eyes have never before seen. I look away when I see Nicholas jogging over to me.
“It’s a damn good thing he was here. They would have killed us all.” I wouldn’t have let them. “These men are part of a blood running gang I’ve been tracking for years. It’s amazing your friend wasn’t killed earlier.”
You don’t know how strong Hale is.
My eyes and mouth wince in unison when my heart glitches, and like the traitor it is, swoons for the explosively sexy hybrid. Then my foolish heart remembers Hale doesn’t love me - he cheated on me - and it folds over before crumbling, the shattered pieces dripping down to make me sick at my stomach. I grip my chest as though it really will dull the pain, but I shake it off before Nicholas notices.
“How do you know these men are from the same crew you were looking for?” I ask curiously.
“The tat-”
“I need your help over here, Araya,” Grayson calls to interrupt the conversation between Nicholas and me.
I rush over to join him and Angelica, while Nicholas runs off to start tending to the others. Hale just disappeared without helping at all. That’s not like him. He always helps with the aftermath.
Please be okay.
I’m beyond exhausted now that we’ve had to treat so many people and clean up the mess left behind. The sun isn’t far from rising as I climb out of the shower, the red pool still staining my drain. I’ve washed away the death, blood, and despair from my hair and skin while rejuvenating my weary body slightly with the delicious warmth of its wet kisses.
I wring my hair out with the towel before slipping into a slinky black laced camisole and pulling on a pair of matching underwear. The promise of a foggy mind calls to me, and I pull out a glass and a bottle of wine to wind down. I’ve earned a glass of wine, and the reddish purple fills my glass with excitement.
Just as I feel the gentle burn entering my mouth, my door opens. I gasp slightly, and then I huff when I see Hale walking in. His delicious body is only covered by the low-waist jeans he has intentionally left unbuttoned, and I roll my eyes before turning away.
“Go away, Captain Banner,” I sigh out. “I don’t feel like arguing right now.”
I hear the click of my door as it locks, and I turn back to stare at him, my eyes scolding his back. Very slowly, he turns to face me, and… well… Damn. My mouth goes dry despite the gulp of wine I’ve almost inhaled as I stare into his very dilated eyes.
“I hate it when you call me that. And… I’m not going anywhere,” he smolders out, and I know there’s no way I can fight him without risking the lives of everyone here.
Would I fight him anyways?
“Hale, I need you to do me a favor, baby,” I coo, my savage training instincts kicking in.
My eyes glance over to the table with a vial of olophine.
His menacing smirk turns up into a cocked position as his eyes glare into mine with salacious fantasies churning as he says, “That’s why I’m here.”
Oh damn. I forgot how fucking sexy Savage Hale is.
“No, baby. I need you to take that first, and then you can have your way with me,” I murmur softly while pointing to the meds.
“I’d rather skip the first part,” he growls.
My eyes move to the medicine once more, but they’re abruptly brought back to him when he slams into me to knock me against the wall. His sculpted, toned body pins me as his mouth envelopes mine - his passion pouring through my lips. I taste his desire as much as I feel his need.
He starts sliding me up to where my feet are just off the floor. I return the kiss, and I’m not sure if it’s because I want to or need to in order to keep him from throwing an explosive tantrum. If he gets pissed, he could blow out the side of the compound without even meaning to.
“Please, take the medicine,” I soothingly release, my hands stroking his hair just as gently as my voice coaxes him.
I use my gift to bring the vial to me. It slips into my hand, but he his lips glue themselves to mine again… harder. I start to do the only thing I know to do - inject the medicine myself. I feel his hand skimming my sex through the lacy underwear, his warmth burning me through the skimpy fabric. Then I hear my underwear ripping as he jerks them off my body.
Don’t get so fucking turned on, you stupid girl. Bring him down.
I dawdle too long though. My lips have been entranced by his, making me forget my mission. He hoists me into the air with my back still pressed against the wall. Forcing my legs to rest on his shoulders, he grips me tighter, his breath dancing across my already scorching center, and then his tongue begins its dangerous dance in the area where I need very little stimulation to cry out.
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
I moan as his swirls his tongue, and then he begins his sucking motion before his teeth graze it. I can’t inject the medicine from up here, and he won’t stop until I scream.
My free hand tangles in his hair while my other grips the vial I can’t use yet. I moan more before gasping when he finds the perfect medley with his mouth, and then I start panting as the earth-shattering moment threatens to close in. His hands keep my legs from moving as he continues his standing performance, and my head flops back against the wall as I take pleasure in the guilty moment.
“Shit,” I groan, and his desire quickens, forcing my whole body to pulse with my rapidly beating heart.
I finally scream out, and my legs begin trembling around his neck. He drops me to the ground and jerks me back to him before throwing me down on the floor. Oh, Savage Hale is sexy as hell. Fuck.
Before I can say anything, he’s thrusting inside me with a surreal force. I almost forget I have to stop his savage as I claw up his back. It’s too surreal to let go of him like this. I know the moment his blood enters my mouth, I’m going to feel even more connected to him than I do right now, but at the same time, I’ll lose him to his sober mind. His lips cover mine as I wrap my legs around his waist, and he pounds into me with his ungodly, mind-blowing force.
I finally pull back, and my teeth break the surfac
e of his shoulder which causes him to punish me all the more. He thrashes into me while jerking my head back, and his teeth break my skin in his favorite spot. I gasp loudly as the erotic venom invades my veins, and I know I have to hurry up before I can’t think clearly anymore. I break the top of the bottle and inject him with it before his wound has time to heal.
The warmth rushes from my mouth to his veins to carry his freedom, but now he can’t stop. Our blood has been exchanged, and the erotic bombs are bursting fearlessly. His eyes slowly return to normal, his blue eyes fixating on mine, and his lips start asking forgiveness instead of pouring desire as he drives into me. He rips me up from the floor while staying inside me, and he swishes to the bedroom to bring me on top of him.
“I’m sorry,” he grunts.
My lips cover his briefly before I lean up. I pull his hands up to meet my breasts, and I groan as I feel his erection begging for its release. He pants louder as his moment nears, and then his hand squeezes around my throat as my savage pace continues.
“Fuck,” he breathes as he nears even more, and I scream out again as I explode around him.
I feel his warmth gushing inside me as I collapse to his body with a languid motion, and he pulls me against him while kissing my forehead. I shiver lightly from the powerful orgasms, but I can feel his guilt seeping out.
“I’m sorry,” he murmurs again against my head as he clutches me tighter.
We’re trapped right now - unable to leave due to the closeness we both require. His lips dance over mine, and I feel him moving inside of me again when the overwhelming desire for intimacy starts to become too much as it always does when we blood fuck.
“I heard you the first time. You can’t help it,” I mutter softly, and my lips return the embrace of his as I begin moving my hips against him.
He grabs my hips just before he surges in deeper, and then he jerks me to be beneath him as he takes over.
“I still need you, Araya. Can I-”
“Yes,” I moan out in interruption, and his lips take mine as he thrusts in again.
I pull my hips up to meet his incredibly powerful strokes, and each time sends me into near convulsions as his lips continue to claim mine.