In Darkness Reborn

by Alexis Morgan

  “Yes, big brother. What brings you in here today?” She pushed past him into her office, wanting to put the safety of her desk between them.

  “Can’t I take my favorite sister out for lunch once in a while?”

  He hadn’t picked up the tab for a meal in months; even when he did, he firmly believed that the best food came from a drive-up window. She leaned back in her chair and considered her options. They could drive somewhere, get some food, and he could unload whatever words of wisdom he had for her in the privacy of her car. Or he’d stand right there in her office and let her have it.

  With Barak out in the lab, she really had no choice. She pulled her purse out of her desk drawer and asked, “What lecture do you plan to deliver over greasy hamburgers and fries?”

  He laughed, for once acting more like his old self. It was worth loading up on cholesterol to spend time with the old Penn.

  She pulled out her car keys. “Where to?”

  “I’ll drive,” Penn said, snatching her keys out of her hand.

  “Okay, but where are we going?”

  He pulled out the big guns. “I thought we’d try Dick’s. I’m in the mood for one of their burgers.”

  She couldn’t fault his taste. Dick’s was a well-known drive-in restaurant, a favorite among natives and tourists both. She could always eat salad for dinner to make up for the big burger, fries, and chocolate shake she planned on enjoying. “Okay, bro, lead on. Let me see what plans Barak has for lunch.”

  Before they reached the lab door, Penn surprised her again. “You can ask him along if you have to, but I won’t like it much.”

  She froze. Barak had been avoiding her all morning, and maybe he had every right to. Her heart pounded in her ears as she called out, “Barak, Penn and I are going to grab a burger. Would you like to come?” She kept her fingers crossed that he’d refuse. The thought of being shut up in her truck with both men was more than she could handle right then.

  As usual, he seemed to read her mood with unerring accuracy. “You’ve already had enough of me. I’d better pass.”

  She’d definitely had plenty of Barak last night. “We can bring you back something, if you’d like. Maybe a chocolate shake or some fries?”

  “Nothing,” he answered without looking up. Then almost as an afterthought he added, “Thank you anyway.”

  Was that sarcasm she heard in his voice? His guttural accent wasn’t as heavy as it used to be, but sometimes it made it difficult to interpret what emotions he was feeling. But if she couldn’t read him, it was doubtful that Penn could either.

  “Ready, sis?” Penn stood beside her jingling her car keys, impatient to be underway.

  “Yeah, I’m ready.” She didn’t look back.

  When the hallway door clicked shut, Barak threw his pen down and dropped his clipboard on the counter. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he prayed for patience and an end to the headache he’d been battling all morning.

  His lack of sleep was catching up with him, but if Lacey could make it through the day after the night they’d shared, so could he. It didn’t help that the air around him carried her scent or that anytime he looked up, she was there. Even if his mind knew she was off limits again, other parts of him weren’t convinced.

  How could they share such perfect communication in his bed and be so at odds when they had to depend on words to express themselves? One night of passion had reminded him how much he needed someone to share his life with, but Lacey clearly wasn’t yet ready to make that commitment, and maybe never would be.

  He didn’t blame her, really. After all, he was the enemy, the alien, the freak, the Other. And he was no better. How could he ask her to trust him with her life when he held so much of his own back in secrecy? He hadn’t even answered her the one time she’d asked what his people called themselves.

  Without Lacey, even the lab felt empty and cold. He needed to get out for a while. Maybe he’d go see Devlin again, to see about taking Lacey back down to fix her beloved machinery. The readings had been stable the past two days, so maybe they could go early in the morning. At least he could offer Lacey that much to make her happy.

  On the way out, he locked the door. He didn’t like the idea of anyone in the organization having access to the lab, especially that Ben fellow. A warrior looked after his woman, no matter what world he was from.

  “Sis, you look like hell.” Penn reached over and dunked one of his fries in her catsup.

  Leave it to her brother to make her feel even worse. “I didn’t get much sleep last night.” Please, Lord, don’t let him ask why.

  “Are you and that Other getting along? ’Cause if he’s making trouble for you, all you have to do is tell me.”

  Penn finished off his hamburger, throwing the last bit of the bun to some hungry seagulls. He and Lacey had gotten their food to go, and they’d found a picnic table in a nearby park. The warmth of the sun felt great, even though Lacey needed her sunglasses to cut down on the glare.

  “No, he’s a hard worker and has caught onto our technology more quickly than I would have expected.” She took a long drink of her pop, hoping that Penn would drop the subject.

  He stared down at the table for a few seconds before looking up at her, his eyes worried. “I’m not sure we should be teaching him anything, but I know I’m in the minority. What’s to stop him from crossing back into his world and taking everything he’s learned with him?”

  “How would knowledge of how a seismograph or a microwave oven worked help their cause?” She smiled and snatched her fries out of reach when Penn made another grab for them.

  Penn gave her a disgusted look, wadded up the rest of his lunch, and stuffed it back in the bag. “That’s not what I meant. He’s not only learning our technology but also how we do things, how we think and act when we’re not swinging a sword. It’s always easier to defeat an enemy you understand.”

  “Well, that works both ways. Wouldn’t we use anything we learn about his people, too?”

  “My point exactly. I know how he fights but that’s about all I’ve learned. What have you learned about Barak?”

  Casting around for something safe to say, she settled on a couple of small things. “I think his eyes are sensitive to light and maybe his sense of smell is better than ours.”

  Penn succeeded in snatching one of her last remaining fries. “Not exactly earth-shattering news, Lacey. I’ve got a good sense of smell, too, and the eyesight thing was pretty much a given. As far as we can tell, his world is pretty dark.”

  Okay, so what else could she tell him? Certainly not anything that would reveal how up close and personal she knew Barak’s physical attributes. Or how much she’d admired them. A giggle threatened to bubble up; she fought to keep it under control.

  “He’s pretty much a vegetarian. He didn’t eat any meat at Laurel’s last night.”

  Penn’s good mood was gone in a flash. “You had dinner with Barak last night?”

  “No, not specifically. I told you Dr. Young was having a dinner party. He happened to be another guest.” She glanced at her watch and stood up. “Now, if you’re done with your inquisition, I need to get back to work.”

  He clearly wanted to argue some more, but she didn’t give him a chance. “Do you want a ride or not?”

  “Damn it, Lacey, I don’t want you around him one minute more than you have to be!” Penn stomped after her. “He’s not human! Hell, you know better than most the way his kind affects our world—their filthy natures cause all kinds of problems.”

  Several other people in the park looked up from their own lunches to stare at the ruckus Penn was raising. Lacey wondered what they thought about what he’d said, but she decided she didn’t care what Penn thought, much less some total strangers.

  “Shut up, Penn, and get in. You’re drawing too much attention to yourself.”

  He lowered his voice as he got in the truck, but he didn’t back off. “I mean it, Lacey. Something’s going on, and he might be involv
ed. I don’t want you getting caught in the cross fire if it all blows up.”

  “If what blows up? Do you really think Devlin Bane would have let Barak live this long if he didn’t trust him? For Pete’s sake, Barak worked with Laurel.” She caught a break in the traffic and pulled out of the parking lot.

  Penn made a disgusted grunt. “You’ll note that Devlin managed to get him transferred out of there the first chance he got.”

  When she coasted to a stop at a red light, she looked at her brother. “Don’t go all paranoid on me, Penn. Devlin watched me grow up. If Barak was that dangerous, you know darn well Devlin wouldn’t risk me any more than he would Laurel. And even if he did, the rest of the local Paladins would come down on him. You know that. They’re your friends, too.”

  “They used to be.” He stared down at his hand as he flexed it a few times. “Since I got hurt, I have to wonder. Most of them don’t know how to act around me.”

  A show of pity would only make it worse for him. “Maybe these new workouts with Devlin and Barak will help you regain your ability to fight.”

  “You think Barak’s not dangerous? You should see him with a sword! He may seem quiet and calm, but then he explodes.” Penn looked at her as if daring her to dispute him.

  She put the truck in gear and started forward again. “You forget, Penn. I did see Barak use his sword, and it was scary. I can’t deny that I’ve had a few nightmares over the sight of him carving up those two men in the tunnels. But you know what? He did that to keep me safe. Remember that.”

  They rode in silence the rest of the way back to the Center.

  “I still don’t know how you talked him into it.” Lacey shifted her toolkit to her other hand and keyed in the code.

  Barak was pretty pleased with himself. It had taken some powerful persuasion to get Devlin’s permission for a quick foray into the tunnels to fix or replace Lacey’s equipment, and he’d savored the expression on Lacey’s face when he’d told her.

  Not to mention the fact that she’d thrown her arms around him in a big hug. There’d been nothing sexual in the embrace, but it had felt great to hold her close again for those few seconds. It was one more step in getting her accustomed to his continued presence in her life.

  He checked his sword as they stepped into the elevator, making sure it moved easily in its new scabbard. Even though the barrier had been quiet, their last expedition had proven that there was no guarantee they’d be the only ones prowling the tunnels below the city. At Devlin’s insistence, Lacey was again armed with a pistol.

  Barak reminded her that their time below was limited. “I promised Devlin that we’d just run a diagnostic on the equipment. If it can’t be fixed in only a few minutes, we bring it back to the lab.”

  “Yes, Mother,” Lacey teased with a laugh.

  She was cute in this playful mood, her eyes bright with excitement. He didn’t want to dampen her spirits, but they needed to be alert and cautious.

  “I’m serious, Lacey. At the first sign that someone’s down there besides us, we’re right back in the elevator, hollering for help. Devlin planned on having a couple of the Paladins nearby if we need them.”

  They stepped out of the elevators at the same spot where he’d killed two humans on their last trip.

  Her eyes went straight to the brown stains on the rock floor, her smile fading.

  “They attacked first,” he said. He normally wouldn’t defend his actions, but seeing him kill had frightened her.

  “I know.” Then with a small smile, she grabbed his arm. “Come on, slowpoke. We don’t have long before Devlin will send in the troops.”

  He let himself be pulled along, liking the feel of her hand on his arm, but it made it difficult to concentrate. Trusting her to keep him from running into any walls, he closed his eyes and reached out with his senses.

  The tunnels were devoid of heartbeats other than his and Lacey’s. But a faint taste in the air brought him to an abrupt halt.

  “What’s wrong?” Lacey asked, wisely dropping her voice down into a soft whisper.

  He held up a hand in a silent signal for her to wait. Turning slowly in each direction, he drew a series of shallow breaths, trying to catch the scent again. He found it in the direction in which they were headed.

  Ben from IT had been in the tunnels, and recently, since his cologne was still discernable. What business did he have down here? Nothing legitimate, that was for certain.

  Barak drew his sword. “Someone has been here. I don’t think it was recently, but I want us out of here as fast as possible.”

  “Who?”

  “Someone who shouldn’t have been. Now let’s get moving.”

  Lacey wanted to press for details, but she took his worry seriously. The first box she’d set up was functioning properly, but the second one wasn’t only down—it had been brutalized to the point that the pieces probably weren’t worth salvaging.

  Lacey kicked one of the broken pieces across the floor in frustration. “These things aren’t cheap. Why would anyone do this?” She picked up one of the dials and frowned at the crack in its cover. “Would your people do this?”

  “Maybe, if they ran across it, but that’s unlikely. We don’t usually cross in this area. It’s more likely one of your people, upset because we killed some of their men.” He sheathed his sword and helped gather up the scattered fragments.

  “I’m sorry, Barak. I shouldn’t have pointed fingers that way. It’s just that it will be months before I have enough money in the budget to replace this. Paladins are the only ones who are supposed to patrol this area, and they’d have no reason to destroy my equipment. They all know I’m trying to learn how to predict earthquakes and things that affect the barrier.”

  Barak avoided looking at her, for fear she’d see his regret over not sharing his gift for predicting earthquakes long before equipment like Lacey’s could pick them up. With such foreknowledge, the Paladins would be better prepared when the barrier collapsed, which meant more from his world would die.

  He’d turned his back on his world, but not the people in it. Maybe that was splitting hairs, but it was the only way he could live with himself.

  He shoved the pieces back into the machine’s casing and picked it up. “Maybe we can salvage part of this, enough to reset some of the sensors.”

  She looked doubtful but gamely picked up another few items that Barak had missed. When she stuffed them in with the others, she surprised him by raising up on her toes to plant a quick kiss on his cheek.

  “I appreciate your doing all of this with me.”

  Her scent filled his senses, sending a surge of white-hot desire burning through him. “Careful, Lacey. It’s not all I would like to do with you.” He let the heat show in the way he looked at her from head to toe, lingering in his favorite places along the way.

  To give her credit, she didn’t back away. Instead, she held out her hands for the broken casing. When he surrendered it, she set it down and stepped right into his arms.

  The chill of the tunnels disappeared in the sweet heat of her kiss. He closed his eyes, using his hands to trace the curves of her body from memory, his ragged breath drawing in her scent and taste and making them part of his soul.

  Her jeans put too much distance between them. He made enough room between them for his hand to reach for her zipper, but she beat him to it. Murmuring his approval, he slid his hands down the curve of her waist, easing both her jeans and panties off her hips and down to the ground.

  As he slowly stood up, she smiled against his mouth. “Your turn.”

  This was madness, and they both knew it. He didn’t care, and apparently neither did she. Maybe he wasn’t the only one who’d been dying of frustration the past two days.

  Not trusting himself, he reached for his wallet and got out the condom he carried with him—just in case.

  “Smart man.” Lacey showed her approval by tugging off her T-shirt and bra.

  He maintained enough control to st
rip off his shirt before unzipping his pants, managing to sheath himself before dragging his lover back into his arms. The press of her naked skin against his felt like coming home.

  “This floor won’t be comfortable.”

  She laughed, her voice husky with desire. “That’ll be your problem. I plan on being on top.”

  He didn’t argue. It didn’t matter which position they chose, as long as he was inside her soon. The two of them tumbled to the ground. If the rock was cold or uncomfortable, he quit noticing the second she presented her full breasts to him, demanding his attention.

  As soon as he suckled one ripe, plump nipple, she straddled his body, squirming and rocking her damp core against his cock. He splayed his hand on her ass, encouraging her to move faster and harder.

  A few seconds later, she stopped. She stared down at him, her gaze hot and needy, her hair wild. “Barak, I want you inside me. Deep and hard.”

  “Gladly.” He lifted her up enough for her to position herself so that he rested right at the entrance to her body. Then working together, she eased down until her body gloved him completely.

  This time, when she rocked forward, they both moaned. He drew up his knees to support her as she put her hands flat on his chest and began a long, slow slide up and then down.

  She was killing him. But he’d die happy.

  He let her set the pace, enjoying the look of sensual power in her eyes. Her pretty breasts bounced with each motion, tempting him again. He cupped them with his hands, squeezing and kneading, loving the way they filled his hands.

  “Harder,” she demanded.

  He did as ordered, flicking his tongue over one nipple until he caught it with his teeth and lips. Lacey threw her head back, giving herself over to the rising tide of passion between them.

  He was so big, filling and stretching her, fitting her so perfectly, unlike any other lover she’d ever had. She loved the way he looked at her with those pale eyes, as if she was the one woman in this world or his that could make him feel this way.