Hunted

by Evangeline Anderson

  “Yes, you should have!” Liv sank down on the round bench that circled the table in the dining nook. “You absolutely should have, Kat—I don’t care how awkward it would have been.”

  “Olivia is right,” Baird rumbled. “Though believe me, it would have been plenty damn awkward,” he added, looking uncomfortable. Remembering the kinky exploits of the night before, Liv felt herself blush in agreement.

  “We would have if we thought Sylvan couldn’t protect her,” Lock said with dignity. “But from what Kat and Deep and I saw—”

  “How exactly did you see them?” Baird growled, frowning.

  It was Lock’s turn to look uncomfortable. “We, er, used Kat as a focus to find Sophia and Sylvan. But only because you weren’t available yourself, Brother.”

  “They used you as a what?” Liv looked at her friend in concern. Kat was still glaring at the twins and her fair cheeks were stained a deep, rosy red. “Kat,” she murmured, what exactly did you get up to last night?”

  “Not as much as you did, I’m sure.” Kat spoke to Liv while keeping her eyes trained on Deep and Lock. “But a hell of a lot more than I planned on, I can tell you that.”

  Liv turned on Deep and Lock. “You bastards—what did you do to my friend?”

  “Only what was necessary to find your sister,” Deep shot back.

  “Using an unmated female as your focus?” Baird shook his head. “I don’t know much about the way seeking/finding works, but I thought it was forbidden to use an unshielded mind in such a way.”

  “It was her choice.” Deep scowled.

  “And it’s not forbidden—just not exactly encouraged,” Lock added. “The lady Kat did offer herself. We tried to warn her that the experience might be somewhat…intimate.”

  “Somewhat intimate?” Kat demanded. “It was a hell of a lot more than ‘somewhat intimate.’ Compared to being mentally groped by the two of you, a trip to the gynecologist is like a handshake.”

  “You volunteered for it,” Deep exploded. “We tried to warn you.”

  “Well you didn’t warn me about the fact that this…this link between us doesn’t seem to be fading.” Kat sounded both scared and furious. “Or that I’d have your damn emotions running around inside me for who knows how long. Or that I’d have a splitting headache I can’t get rid of.”

  Baird crossed his arms over his bare chest and narrowed his eyes at the two Twin Kindred. “You put me in an awkward position, brothers. It is my duty to protect the females under my care. As my bride’s friend, Kat falls squarely into that category.”

  “Kat should be ours to protect,” Deep snarled, taking a step forward. “Lock and I have shared a joining with her and you already have a bride.”

  Baird took a step forward too, glowering. “If I’m hearing correctly, she wants nothing more to do with you. And it seems you took unfair advantage of her last night.”

  The tension in the room was suddenly so thick it was stifling. Liv could almost smell the testosterone filling the air, a thick, hot odor like the musk of male animals in rut. She opened her mouth to say something but Kat beat her to it.

  “Wait a minute, wait a minute.” She held out her hands, stepping between Baird and Deep, who was being held back by Lock. “Look, I’m not happy about what happened last night—not happy at all.” She glared at Deep. “I will admit, though, that it was necessary up to a point. We had to make sure Sophie and Sylvan were all right. And that’s what we need to concentrate on now—finding them and bringing them home.”

  “The lady Kat is correct,” Lock said earnestly. “After she found them, Deep and I were able to pinpoint their exact location.”

  “Give me the coordinates,” Baird said at once. “I’ll go get them right now.”

  “The structure they’re in is in a heavily wooded area,” Deep growled. “You couldn’t wedge a shuttle in there if you tried.”

  “However, there is a clearing about half a mile away by a small human shop. You could land there,” Lock offered. “Only…”

  “Only what?” Liv demanded impatiently.

  “Well…” Lock looked uncomfortable. “Perhaps you should try bespeaking them again first. And not just…walk in on them.”

  “When we last saw Sylvan he was deep in rage,” Deep added, as though that explained anything.

  “He really was?” Baird frowned. “I thought he might be from Kat’s description but I didn’t know he cared for Sophia that way.”

  “Apparently he does,” Deep said dryly. “Which is why you should call first.”

  “How can we call them? I thought you said there was a mental block,” Liv said.

  “There is,” Lock said. “But the last time I tried Sylvan on the Think-me, it felt weaker. As if I could almost get through. Maybe if someone with a stronger connection—”

  Liv was already up. “Bebo,” she called. “Bebo, quick, fetch the Think-me.”

  “Wait.” Baird put a hand on her arm just as the little zichther, which looked remarkably like a blue teddy bear, came waddling into the room with a thin wire circlet clutched in its jaws.

  “Wait? Why should we wait?” Liv was already reaching for the Think-me but Baird got it first.

  “Think what Lock is trying to tell us, Olivia,” he said softly. “Sylvan was deep in rage. That’s a state Kindred males don’t go into unless their bride is threatened. I had a helluva time not being blinded by it myself when I went to the Scourge’s Fathership to get you. If the AllFather had refused my offer of krik-ka-re, I probably would have lost it and ripped the whole damn place apart.”

  “I still don’t understand.” Liv shook her head. “Sophie and Sylvan aren’t together but he still went into this…this rage state? What does that even mean?”

  “It means that Sylvan probably demolished the threat—whatever it was—and he’s bonding Sophia to him this very minute,” Deep drawled. “And it’s not wise to interrupt bonding sex between a Blood-Kindred and his chosen mate—not even telepathically. Although it’s a hell of a lot better to bespeak them than to just barge in.”

  “Are you crazy?” Kat glared at them. “You never said anything like that to me. Sophie doesn’t even like Sylvan.”

  “Sometimes liking doesn’t have anything to do with it.” Deep gave her a half-lidded look so hot Liv was surprised it didn’t burn her friend’s silky blue dress right off her lush, voluptuous body. “Sometimes the desire between a Kindred and his bride is so intense that it can’t be denied—by either party.”

  “Deep is right,” Baird said thoughtfully. “Sometimes the blood knows what the mind does not wish to see.” He sounded like he was quoting some kind of a proverb.

  Liv thought of the hungry way Sylvan had kissed her twin during the Luck Kiss and how nervous Sophie had seemed afterwards. Could they possibly… No. No way. It’s just not possible. “I’m not listening to any more of this.” She held out her hand, frowning up at Baird. “Give it to me.”

  “Lilenta,” he murmured. “How would you have felt if someone had interrupted us the first time?”

  “I would have been madder than hell,” Liv said calmly. “But I’m telling you, Baird, nothing is going on. Think-me’s only work when you’re calling from the Mother ship and Sophie left her cell phone at home, so neither one of them has any way to communicate. They’re probably down there, twiddling their thumbs right now, waiting for us to make contact. That’s if they’re okay. Please…” Her throat got tight but she forced the words out. “I have to know they’re all right.”

  Baird looked troubled but he handed her the thin silver wire at once. “Very well. But I’m certain they’re well, Lilenta. Sylvan and I have a very deep bond. I would know if he was wounded or had gone to be with the Mother.”

  “You think that,” Liv said, settling the Think-me so that the cool silver wire pressed against her temples. “I was really close to my parents, too. I would have sworn that I would just know somehow if anything happened to them. But when we got that knock on the door
I had no idea. I…” She shook her head, unable to finish.

  “Liv…” Kat squeezed her arm comfortingly. She had been the first to rush over to the house on that terrible day, so Liv knew her friend understood exactly how horrible the memory still was. And how fearful Liv was of losing someone else she loved suddenly.

  “It’s okay.” She shook her head. “Let me…just let me concentrate.” Closing her eyes she thought hard, pushing her mental voice out into space. “Sophie…Sophie, can you hear me?” But there was nothing—nothing except the strange sensation of her words flying out into space…and then bouncing back. Almost as though they were being repelled by some outside force. Liv opened her eyes.

  “Anything?” Kat looked at her hopefully.

  Liv shook her head. “Nothing. Just this weird…barrier somewhere out there. It’s like trying to shout through a rubber wall or something. I know that doesn’t make sense…”

  “It makes perfect sense,” Lock said firmly. “That is exactly what Deep and I encountered when we tried to make contact with Sylvan. But the first few times we tried the wall was more solid—like rock.”

  “That’s why we think it’s getting weaker,” Deep added. “Whatever or whoever is generating it—probably the Scourge—can’t keep it up forever.”

  “If we can’t bespeak them then we have to go to them,” Liv said. “Now, Baird! And don’t start that crap again about Sophie and Sylvan being together. I know Sophie and Sylvan is not her type.”

  “It might not be so easy,” Lock said. “Since last we talked to lady Kat, the High Council has put a moratorium on travel between the Mother ship and the planet—at least until they ascertain that the threat is gone.”

  “Threat, what threat? I thought they crashed,” Liv protested.

  “We think they may have been forced down,” Deep said. “The Council has decided to fly some patrols in the space between Earth and the ship. So far they haven’t found anything but just to be sure…”

  “It should only be another few hours,” Lock said, obviously intending to be comforting.

  “A few hours?” Liv kept her voice low and controlled with an effort. “In a few hours it might be too late! I thought you said they were in danger.”

  “That was hours ago,” Deep said. “And if Baird says they’re still alive—well…” He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling nonchalantly under his dark green shirt.

  “How would Baird know?” Kat demanded. “I mean, no offense,” she said, turning to him. “But Liv is right. You can’t just know that the people you love are okay.”

  “Actually, I can,” he said mildly. “Sylvan and I share a blood connection. We’re only half brothers, so we can’t hear each other’s thoughts without a Think-me, or feel each other’s emotions like Deep and Lock here.” He nodded at his second-brothers. “But I do know that if Sylvan was wounded or dying, I would feel it here.” He thumped his chest with one large fist. “The same way I felt our father’s passing.”

  “So…” Liv looked up at him. “You’re not just saying that to make me feel better? You’d really know if something was wrong?”

  “With Sylvan, yes.” He nodded firmly. “And Lilenta, if he cared enough about Sophia to go into rage for her, then he would have died killing whatever was threatening her before he allowed her to come to harm. Actually, he would have died defending her even if he didn’t care—I charged him with her safety, remember? If Sylvan is alive and well, I would stake my honor as a warrior that your sister is as well.”

  Liv looked at him for a long moment and Baird met her eyes with his own golden gaze. After a long moment she felt the knot that had formed in the pit of her stomach loosen just a little. “Oh Baird, are you really sure?”

  “As sure as I can be.” He drew her to him and held her tight, tucking her head under his chin. His arms around her shoulders felt like warm, flexible steel and Liv let herself melt against him, drawing comfort from his big, solid form.

  Breathing in his spicy, comforting scent, she tried not to cry. “I hope you’re right. I really do.”

  “So do I, Lilenta,” he rumbled. “So do I.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  It was still dark when Sophie opened her eyes, with just a hint of gray dawn peeping in the cabin’s smallish windows. She woke with the strange feeling that someone she loved wanted to talk to her very, very badly and was upset because they couldn’t reach her. It made her feel unsettled and anxious, like dropping a call in the middle of an important conversation. Only what were we talking about? What was she saying? But that didn’t make any sense. She hadn’t been talking to anyone—had she?

  Sophie rubbed her eyes and stretched. What a weird dream. And where am I? As though her brain had been waiting for that question, the events of the night before came rushing back to her. The crash…all the misunderstandings with Sylvan…the urlich…the way he marked me…This last memory woke her completely and she sat up, shivering in the cool early morning air.

  Is he still asleep? Sophie looked down past the foot of the bed. Sure enough, Sylvan was curled on his side, on the rug in front of the ashes of last night’s fire. Even in sleep his strong features looked troubled, as though he was wrestling with a problem that had no solution. Sophie felt a stab of pity. Poor guy! She wished she could lean down and stroke the worry lines off his high forehead, but that might wake him up. And after last night, he definitely needed all the sleep he could get.

  I wonder if he’s dreaming of me, she thought, tracing the lines of his big body with her eyes. Dreaming of what happened between us. Or of what he said he wanted to happen. That thought sent a different kind of shiver down her spine which had nothing to do with the chilly air.

  She still didn’t want him on top of her and biting her the way he’d described. But the memory of his mouth on her pussy, the long, slow, loving way he had tasted her, and the hunger in his voice when he talked about what he wanted to do to her was still fresh in her mind. Though she’d been avoiding alpha males for years now, she was beginning to think she understood what other women saw in them. If they were anything like Sylvan, that was.

  Well, Liv is perfectly happy with Baird, she reminded herself. And he’s about as alpha as they come. Then again, he didn’t insist on biting Olivia every time they had sex. Sophie sighed. It really was too bad about the whole biting thing. She thought that with time and a lot of patience, she might overcome her fear of sex—though she was never going to want a big, male body on top of her while it happened. And she might even get used to Sylvan’s protective mode, as scary as it was. But the idea of being stabbed in the throat with what amounted to four huge needles every time her lover was feeling amorous…Huh-uh, no way. Just the thought made her vaguely ill.

  And why are you even thinking about this, anyway? As soon as you get back to the Mother ship it’s all going to be over. So there’s no use getting attached in any way.

  Sophie shivered again and wrapped her arms around herself. So cold. What I need is a nice, hot shower. But would that wash Sylvan’s scent off? She bit her lip and looked longingly toward the closed bathroom door. She never felt quite right in the morning without a shower—even if she’d taken one the night before. Even more than her first cup of coffee, it woke her up and got her going.

  A weak ray of sunshine slipped over the tree tops and through the window above the bed. It played over the worn patchwork comforter, catching Sophie’s eye. Funny how she hadn’t noticed the comforter much the night before—maybe because it had been so dim with only the small fire to illuminate the cabin. Looking at the bed covering now, she could see that someone had put a lot of time and effort into it. In the pale sunlight the faded red and blue patches were—wait a minute. Sunlight! Sylvan’s voice from the night before echoed in her head. “…the urlich are creatures of darkness. Sunlight incapacitates them.”

  So we should be fine today, Sophie thought with relief. And I can have my shower after all.

  Feeling much better, she slipped quietly
out of bed and tiptoed across the floor to the bathroom. Her hurt ankle twinged a little but at least it didn’t feel like someone was stabbing her with knives anymore. In fact, with the exception of being ravenously hungry, Sophie thought she felt remarkably well considering the harrowing events of the night before.

  How much of that had to do with a good night’s sleep…and how much of it had to do with Sylvan? Sophie didn’t know and she wasn’t about to wake him up and ask him. Sneaking into the bathroom she closed the door as noiselessly as possible.

  The hot water felt wonderful sluicing down her back and shoulders—it woke her up and made her tingle all over. In fact, as she soaped herself, she felt especially tingly between her legs. Her thoughts turned again to the way Sylvan had spread her open, to the slow, patient way he’d explored her with his tongue. She had to admit, it had been the most erotic experience of her entire life. The pleasure of his touch had almost made up for all the fear and uncertainty she’d gone through.

  Sylvan had seemed to really enjoy it too. At least from the way he talked about how good she tasted and smelled and how much he wanted her. Being desired so badly wasn’t something Sophie had experienced much in the past. Sure, the first guy she’d ever had sex with had told her he wanted her, but he was fumbling to get under her Camp Wakikee t-shirt at the time for a quick grope before lights out.

  This was totally different. The way Sylvan looked at her, the hungry growl in his voice when he talked about what he wanted to do to her…it made her feel like a goddess. And no one had ever made her feel that way before.

  Almost of its own volition, Sophie’s hand found its way between her thighs. She’d told Sylvan that she usually didn’t do this—didn’t touch herself—which was true. But it was also true that she didn’t usually have such vivid fantasy material. Only it wasn’t a fantasy. He really did that. Really spread me open and tasted me until I came so hard…

  It wasn’t long before she was coming again. Sliding her fingers along the side of her clit, she moaned his name softly as the hot water rushed over her naked body. “Sylvan…oh God, Sylvan…”