However, as she looked over at Tiberius, she started to wonder if her career was what mattered anymore. Perhaps it wasn’t. Perhaps one large alien mate with super strength, speed, and a burgeoning psychic connection was where her true future lay.
Her life was changing faster than she could blink, but she didn’t care, because somewhere in the last couple days, her priorities had changed, too.
Chapter Twenty-Four
His mate was finally coming around.
She had seen another side of him today, a side he had hoped to keep hidden from her until she had a chance to accept who and what he was, until she could no longer imagine her life without him in it.
Now that she had witnessed some of his preternatural abilities, some cracks had appeared in those mental walls crafted from human denial. The timing was unfortunate. Ideally, he would have had hours, or better yet, days to introduce her to his reality, to invite her to explore and question, preferably between bouts of love making. Now that would have to wait until Quintus was safe and the dark bird vanquished. In the meantime, he would hope that she continued to be open to the possibilities, and to continue to handle things as well as she was now.
Tiberius braced himself against the door panel as she took a turn at a high rate of speed. They shared the same sense of urgency and determination. The energy hummed between them, filling the small, enclosed space and growing stronger as their bond deepened.
The gods had chosen his mate well. As much as he wanted to keep her out of harm’s way, he also recognized she was strong and capable. Ryan Winslet was a woman who would stand by his side. He would have to be a fool to want to change that.
At that particular moment, she was also their best hope of finding his brother. She knew the area and possessed valuable knowledge of those involved.
“How is your arm?” she asked, taking her eyes away from the road to glance worriedly at him. “Do I need to take you to a hospital?”
“No.”
Her genuine concern wrapped around his heart. “You’re bleeding.”
“Get us to the docks, and all will be well.”
“Yeah? How is that going to work? Shit!”
He was thrown forward as she slammed on the brakes and jerked the wheel, raising her middle finger to the large truck that had cut them off before rocketing forward once again. Thankfully, his quick reflexes had prevented him from making contact with the windshield, though her dash now sported a palm-sized impression of considerable depth.
“It is complicated. I ask that, for now, you simply trust me.”
“I do, which is the only reason you’re here. I mean it, Tiberius. No more getting hurt on my watch, hear me?”
Despite the grimness of the situation, he grinned. “You care for my well-being.”
She scowled. “Yeah, well, you and I are going to have a long talk once all this is over.”
“Indeed, we shall. Assuming I manage to survive the trip, that is.”
“You did not just go there.”
He grinned then grew sober once again. “Ryan Winslet, know that I will do whatever I must to recover my brother and exact vengeance for those who have fallen.”
Her beautiful features set in grim determination. “In that, we are in total agreement.”
When they arrived at the docks, Ryan navigated the vehicle as far as she dared. Then she got out of the car and opened the trunk, revealing a dizzying assortment of personal weapons. She began to strap them on.
“Okay, so listen. Chances are Nez is holing up on one of the freighters on the southeast side. He has a penchant for holding court in dark, cramped spaces, just like the cockroach he is.”
“The dark bird is actually an insect?”
“No, that’s just an expression,” she explained.
“Ah. How will we ascertain which one?”
“We’ll start on one end and work our way through. If we get lucky, we’ll spot some of his minions and narrow the possibilities. Do you know how to use any of these?” she asked, indicating the array of weaponry.
“I am familiar with the basic concepts, but I shall not need them.”
“No?” she asked doubtfully. “What are you going to do, intimidate Nez and his guys into giving themselves up?”
“Something like that.”
“Tiberius, I don’t think you understand what we’re up against.”
“I understand all too well,” he said grimly. Impulsively, he pulled her to him and kissed her.
“What was that for?”
“Fortuna. Be vigilant, Ryan Winslet. I shall be very upset if even a hair on that beautiful head is harmed.” He took off before she could respond, setting a quick pace and leaving her to follow. Quintus was close. He could feel it.
They kept to the shadows as much as possible, looking for any sign of Black Eagle or his men. Ryan spotted one of them first, alerting him by curling her fingers around his wrist.
“There,” she said quietly, looking toward a small, thin figure moving quickly ahead of them. “That’s Fast Eddie. He was picked up on suspicion of human trafficking a couple years ago. Something tells me he’ll lead us right where we need to go.”
Tiberius nodded in understanding.
They followed the scrawny human to a large ship at the far end of the docks. The group of burly men hanging around suggested they had found what they were looking for.
“Shit,” she breathed out. “Nez has to be in there, but how are we going to get past those guys? We need a distraction or something.”
“Leave it to me,” he told her.
“What are you going to do?” she asked skeptically.
He reached out and pulled her close, relishing the feel of her lush softness and the zing of sensation that energized him. Leaning down, he claimed her mouth in a quick but soul-searing kiss, wishing he had more time to reassure her.
“Have faith, little mate,” he told her, “and watch your posterior. I intend to worship it when all is said and done.” He gave her one more quick kiss before taking off toward the water.
Ignoring her hissed calls to return, he dove into the sea and propelled himself downward, out of sight. The water embraced him lovingly, surrounding him as he shed his clothes beneath the surface. His wound stung, but in moments, the healing properties of the salt water began to work their magic.
He could feel his mate’s concern radiating from above.
“Trust me,” he implored over their shared bond. “Trust me, as I am trusting you.”
Concerned sea creatures flocked to him, broadcasting their willingness to assist. In a series of high- and low-pitched sounds, he managed to convey his plan. As the creatures swam away, Tiberius sank to the ocean floor and raised his arms. As the humans were so fond of saying, shit was about to get real.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ryan stared at the space where Tiberius had gone over the edge. Was he crazy?
Yes, she decided, of course he was. He thought he was an alien who could take on someone like Atsa Nez unarmed.
She felt his amusement, a flicker of consciousness against her own. “Trust me,” it said.
As if she had a choice.
She had no idea what he was thinking. How were they supposed to work together if they didn’t communicate? Then again, maybe it was better this way. He was safer in the water, out of the direct line of fire. One less thing for her to worry about.
Thankfully, none of the goons seemed to have noticed Tiberius’s mad dash for the sea.
Ryan extracted her gun and took a deep breath. She would give him a few minutes to get a safe distance away, then she was going to create a distraction of her own.
She was considering potential possibilities when a dark sedan with tinted windows pulled up to the freighter. Her heart nearly stopped when two big guys got out, dragging a limp, bloody form. She recognized that dark, shaggy hair.
Quintus!
She was just about to go out, guns blazing, when shouts sounded from the direction of the sh
ip. Was that Tiberius’s distraction?
She didn’t take the time to analyze it. She burst from behind the large metal cargo container she had been using as cover and made a beeline for the sedan.
Taking a deep, cleansing breath, she raised her weapon, aimed, and took the lackeys out with two quick, silent squeezes of the trigger. Looking toward the ship as they were, they never saw her coming.
When she made it to the car, she pushed and pulled Quintus’s heavy weight behind it, out of the direct line of sight and fire. All the while, she waited for the shouts that would announce her presence, waiting for the subsequent sting of a bullet piercing her flesh, but neither came. Whatever had grabbed their attention still had it.
She sent out a mental thank you. “I don’t know what you’re doing, but whatever it is, keep doing it. I am going to reward you in ways you can’t even imagine.” She allowed a few fleeting, explicit images to follow that statement and received a growl and a surge of lust in response.
Turning her focus back to the man before her, she took in his bruised and battered features. “Please let him be alive,” she prayed. Ryan pressed her fingers to his neck and breathed a sigh of relief when she found a pulse, slow but strong.
“I have Quintus,” she whispered the thought. “He’s hurt, but alive.”
When a wave of gratitude washed over her, she knew Tiberius had heard her. Only then did she take the time to look out at the water and see what had garnered the others’ attention.
Just off the docks, the ocean was rising up in huge, angry waves. Schools of fish and other creatures were leaping high out of the water with each surge in an amazing, wondrous performance.
Quintus groaned, shaking her free from the mesmerizing sight.
“Come back, Tiberius, and let’s get the hell out of here.”
“Soon,” Tiberius answered vaguely back in her head. “Stay with Quintus. I shall join you shortly.”
“What are you going to do?”
His only answer was a deep, rumbling chuckle that sent shivers down her spine.
Cursing him under her breath, she looked down at Quintus. He was too heavy to move, and he didn’t look like he would be able to assist anytime soon. Anyone who saw him would assume he had been shot along with the others.
For the moment, that was going to have to be enough.
“Stay put,” she muttered to Quintus, quickly relieving the goons of their weapons and tucking one under his arm. Leaving him was one thing, but she wasn’t going to leave him unarmed.
A quick check assured her that everyone’s attention was still on the spectacle in the water.
“Tiberius!” she hissed out loud, knowing he would hear the echo in her mind. “Let’s go!”
Despite repeated attempts to “speak” with him, he did not respond. He didn’t have to. The swelling need for vengeance within her broadcasted his intent better than any words.
Tiberius was going after Nez.
She slipped from behind the car, rechecked her weapons, and then worked her way back toward the freighter.
She didn’t notice Quintus slipping into the water moments later.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Tiberius emerged from the water unseen, re-energized and seething. Now that he knew Quintus and his mate were away from immediate danger, he would see to the dark bird once and for all.
The sea creatures were putting on a magnificent display. He would reward them with plenty of chum later for their hard work.
After swimming back up to the dock, he rose from the water. The freighter was swaying with the momentum of the angry waves, waves he had created with his command of the sea. They continued to crash against the side with great force, a constant barrage of twenty-foot swells, cresting just below the ship’s deck and holding the attention of those left to guard the ship. Tiberius was able to board and slip behind a cargo box without being spotted.
From what he could see, there were five men standing on the deck of the ship, watching the diversion. Was one of them the dark bird?
Keeping to the shadows of the large containers, Tiberius sidled his way up closer to the men. One stood away from the others. He would be the first to fall.
When one of the dolphins jumped out of the water to do a flip, Tiberius reached out and snatched the straggler, pulling him back into the shadows.
“Are you Black Eagle?” he hissed down at the man who was struggling to breathe as Tiberius squeezed his windpipe.
The man shook his head, even as he attempted to free himself.
Tiberius couldn’t take the chance that the man’s kicking and thrashing would attract the attention of the others, so he quietly snapped his neck then dropped the body over the side of the ship.
Peering around the cargo box once more, he saw that the other four hadn’t noticed their companion had gone missing. That was to his favor. What was not in his favor was the fact that he had run out of cover. There were no more boxes large enough to conceal a stealthy advance. He would have to step out into the open to take on his next combatant. That would make it four against one.
Suddenly, a soft hand touched his arm from behind. He knew immediately it was his mate.
“Now it’s two against four,” she spoke through their mental bond.
Pride swept through him. His mate was a warrior at heart, and a fine female to have at his side. They were going to have a long, healthy matehood.
“Please be careful,” he implored.
“I’ll be fine,” she insisted, infusing her silent words with assurance. “And ditto. I’m going to duck behind this box and come out on the other side. Dibs on the two goons on the far end closest to the ship’s door. You go after the two closest to us. Agreed?”
Tiberius nodded. They needed to move quickly, knowing the men’s attention would not be held much longer by the distraction.
Holding up her hand, Ryan counted to three then took off.
Even as he stepped out to lunge at his next target, he heard the soft pop of the silencer on her gun and, from the corner of his eye, saw a body fall.
Tiberius engaged the man closest to him in hand-to-hand combat, striking several blows to his enemy’s head before the man struck a powerful blow to his midsection.
To his right, he heard two more soft pops. He hoped that Ryan had managed to take out her second target without incident.
The first man went down hard, but Tiberius’s second target had managed to circle around behind him and land a hard kick to his back.
Tiberius roared and whipped around to dispatch the other, only to find Ryan standing behind his second target with her gun pointed at the henchman’s head. However, the man being held at gunpoint was the one smiling.
Ryan’s face drained of color as she lifted her other arm and pointed her weapon toward him.
The reason became clear a moment later when Tiberius felt the cold muzzle of a gun pressed against the back of his head.
From behind him, a deep, scratchy voice said, “Ah, we meet again, Detective Winslet.” The man chuckled. “Heard from Jason lately?”
Ryan’s face went blank, but Tiberius could feel her shame welling up from within. “Fuck you, Nez.”
“Drop the gun, Detective,” the man growled, “or I’ll splatter your boyfriend’s brains all over the deck here.”
Tiberius seethed. Not because his life was in danger, but because this man had hurt his mate. Tiberius could see the rage and hate on her face, yet she failed to pull the trigger.
He reached through their bond and into her thoughts. That was where he discovered her fear. She was hesitating for his sake, out of concern for him.
“Is he the dark bird?” Tiberius thought to his mate.
“Yes,” she thought back solemnly.
“Dispatch him.”
“No! He’s using you as a shield.”
“Do it. Shoot your weapon, Ryan Winslet, and end this once and for all.”
She shook her head. “I’m not going to shoot you.”
/> “Don’t tell me no, bitch!” the dark bird seethed, no doubt thinking she was shaking her head at him. “You think I’m kidding? I’ll waste this fucker right now. Then I’m going to let my men use every hole you’ve got before I put you on the next boat outta here. Now put down your fucking gun.”
Tiberius could hear his mate’s sharp intake of breath at the threat, and he could feel her anger along their mental bond. It matched his own. His only regret was that he would be unable to dispatch the horrible death the dark bird deserved.
“Do it now, Ryan Winslet. Shoot him through me.”
“No! Are you insane?”
“Look at me, Ryan,” Tiberius spoke softly into her mind. “Look at my arm.”
Her eyes flicked to where he had been shot, widening when she realized the wound was almost completely healed. “How?”
“I will explain everything later, but right now, you need to end this. Do it!”
“You better be right about this, Tiberius, or I’m going to shoot you again on purpose.”
He smiled. “You cannot get rid of me that easily, little mate.”
As Ryan inhaled, he felt her calm. Her eyes met his briefly, then dipped to his shoulder. A heartbeat later, she squeezed the trigger and he felt the sharp sting of the bullet passing through his flesh and into the man behind him.
As a surprising level of pain seared through his body, Tiberius lunged to the side. Two more shots rang out in quick succession.
He looked back at his mate, only to find her standing over the body of the henchman she had been holding hostage. She was glorious in her warrior stance, with a gun in each hand and her body primed and braced for battle.
As he looked down to see the dark bird once known as Black Eagle on the ground, with a hole in his chest and another between the eyes, he knew this battle was over.
They had won. Now it was time to reward his aquatic helpers then jump into the sea to heal.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind: In the Stars Romance Page 13