by Storm Savage
“Nobody released top secret information so you don’t have to go charging into the village hunting down a culprit. I snuck into the lab just like I snooped in your phone for Raef’s number. As queen, I am granted access to everything.”
“Your actions will be taken up in council, but for now I have enough to deal with.” She walked over to Raef but kept her eyes on Naami. “You found your way here, now you can find your way back. If you didn’t appoint a proxy and you’re gone too long, they will banish you from your throne.”
“Fine, I’m going,” she huffed. “Unlike you, I travel by plane. I have a roundtrip ticket.”
“Good.” Flame slid her arms around Raef’s neck. The fragrant and heady scent of Marabella lingered on his bare chest. Gazing up at him, she pulled his head down for a kiss.
Immediately his arms tightened around her waist as he drew her against him. He released a heavy sigh as his tongue explored her mouth. They kissed ardently for several minutes before Naami let out a growl of displeasure.
“Oh for heaven’s sake, must you show off? I get it already. He’s hopelessly in love with you just like the others.”
Flame eased from the kiss and turned her head toward the young queen. “Oh, are you still here?” She smirked. “What’s wrong? Didn’t he kiss you? Did you actually entertain thoughts of stealing him from me with trickery? You may have coerced him into sex but you cannot use deceit to win someone’s heart when it belongs to another.”
Naami’s face flushed angry red. She opened her mouth a few times as if to speak but seemed at a loss for words. “Ugh,” she growled. “Don’t forget, Raef, to ask her.”
“Ask me what?”
“Raef was worried about living behind a lie but I told him he’s not the only one.”
“What is she talking about?” Raef arched questioning brows.
“I have no idea.”
“Ask her about the Satellite,” Naami snipped with a toss of her head. “Ask her about Von Calder.” And with that, she breezed out the door, slamming it behind her.
Flame buried her emotions deep. Clearly, Naami has been doing more than snooping in the lab. She must’ve been following me. Damn her! She closed her eyes and drew a calming breath. I’ll deal with her later.
“After what just happened,” Raef began. “I don’t have the right to question you. The inner workings of your sisterhood are very complex and at times downright cold.”
“They can be.” She looked up at him, relieved he didn’t press for answers that she didn’t have. “Naami used an experimental fragrance the biochemists have been working on. Marabella is supposed to be an aphrodisiac. Apparently it works.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say. I blasted you earlier about trust and look what I’ve done.”
“No need to keep rubbing it in. You’ll just have to live with your mistake.” She pulled away. “You’ll never know if tonight’s mating will result in conception. She is bound by our laws to never tell anyone who the father is. The records are sealed and only unveiled if there is a health concern that requires DNA or blood from the sire.”
A baffled expression traversed his face. “The kiss…was it just for show so Naami would give up and leave?”
Flame spoke through clenched teeth, keeping her voice low. “I will never give her the satisfaction of winning and I will never let her get to me.”
“The fire runs deep between the two of you, doesn’t it?”
“Let’s just say I enjoy the life of a warrior because it keeps me on the road. I do not like competing with a twenty-five-year-old narcissist even if she is our queen.”
“But you could’ve taken that title away from her.”
“It’s not my calling.”
“What is your calling? What is this talk of a prodigy?”
“Nothing I want to discuss right now. You just slid down a few rungs on the trust ladder. I thought you were beyond the temptations of ordinary men.”
“I’m confused. You laid a hot kiss on me then put me on ice. Is this my punishment?”
She flung one arm back around his neck and ran the fingers of her free hand down his chest, tracing the soft trail of hair below his navel. “If I wanted to punish you,” she said in an airy voice. “I’d get you so hot and bothered that you’d literally beg at my feet for relief.” She slipped two fingers below the waist of his jeans and felt the hard bulge grow. “I would bring you to the brink of climax and hold you there until you writhed in sheer agony.” Her tongue circled the hardened nipple on his chest, making him groan. “I could make you feel things you’ve never felt before then shut you down cold.” Her hand curled around his hard length beneath the denim. “And everything I did would be pure with no cultivated enhancements.” She nipped at his ear and whispered. “I’d let you get so close that you’d feel my heat.” She stroked him slowly, teasingly.
He released a jagged breath and closed his eyes. “Please…don’t stop.”
“And as much as I want you to lay me down right here, right now and make wild love to me…” she purred while kissing the corners of his sensual mouth. “I can’t. But that, my love, is not your punishment. You will always wonder if a child, your child, is wandering around out there slaying dragons or breeding more offspring. That is your punishment for what you’ve done tonight and I can’t top that.” She slid her hand from his jeans then stepped back.
A pained look flooded his eyes. “I think you just did.” He moved toward her. “Please, end my torment. Love me or hate me, anything but the in-between.”
“You still reek of her.” Flame wrinkled her nose in disgust.
“I’ll shower. Just don’t leave, okay?”
She nodded then walked to the sofa and plopped into it. “And for the record…that kiss was not just for show.”
A charming smile beset his gorgeous face before he trotted up the stairs.
Her night of uninterrupted sleep had been shattered. She didn’t feel up to seeking out a hotel at this hour. While Raef showered, she watched early morning television. Naami’s surprise appearance added to her already complicated situation. With trust issues already on the table, she had no idea how to sort this mess. No doubt, Raef would question her about the Satellite once his guilt began to subside, thanks to a jealous queen. Flame knew that once this war ended that Naami would lose her crown because of her underhanded tactics.
Seducing another woman’s boyfriend, even if unbound, was unethical but not unforgivable given the nature of her breed. However, snooping in Flame’s personal belongings to secure an address and stealing from the lab were definitely criminal acts in their underground nation. Naami would be stripped of all privileges and sent to live in the common grounds if not worse. Though Flame was furious with her at the moment, she felt sad over the inevitable outcome. Treachery within their peaceful colony rarely occurred. When it did, everyone felt the shame.
“Do I smell better?” Raef returned clad only in a towel about his waist, and slid onto the couch behind her.
“Much.” She snuggled into his embrace.
“Maybe we can start this day over,” he murmured. “I won’t ask you about the Satellite and you can show mercy on me for my indiscretion.”
She rolled over to face him and smiled. His easy-going nature was hard to resist. “Did you kiss Naami?”
“No, not once. The whole thing feels like a strange dream. I wasn’t even sober and that scent…odd. I couldn’t seem to resist it. Is that what your sisterhood will give women who want what they can’t get on their own? Not everyone is as stunning as you.”
“Ah, flattery from a guilty heart,” she teased.
“Mm, you know I’m sincere.”
“Yes, I do.” She petted his still damp hair while gazing at his face. “And the potion is still in the testing phase. At the last meeting, the lab techs reported progress but were not ready to release it for experimentation. They said there are still some concerns about serious side effects.”
“And
Naami knew this?”
“Yes, but she was obviously willing to risk her health to have you. Can’t say I blame her. You are gorgeous and very sexy.”
“Does that mean I am forgiven?”
“Perhaps I need a little more persuasion.”
Raef rolled her over and balanced his weight above her on the cushions. Their lips met and instantly they enveloped each other in a passionate embrace. His hard length pressed against her bare thigh. She couldn’t deny the arousal mounting in her body over anticipating feeling him inside. The past few days had been stressful. She missed their intimacy. He didn’t know it but she understood more than he realized. She blamed Naami for slipping in unannounced, catching Raef at the worst possible time and using the odds to her favor.
He lifted his head far enough so that their eyes met. “I love you, Flame. I’m in love with you, angel. We’ve never come straight out with it and I don’t expect you to say it back, but I wanted you to know, especially now, that I’ve always loved you since the day we met.”
She searched his eyes and found only truth. Tears threatened to break forth, but she fought them back. He dispelled her awkward moment by sealing his lips to hers. She felt a runaway tear slide down her cheek and was glad he hadn’t seen it. She did love him but couldn’t bring herself to say it just yet. The sting of his encounter with Naami had not completely faded.
The truth was that she felt the same—she’d loved him since the day they met and even during her engagement to Hatch.
This time she didn’t want to rush into serious commitment. Two mistakes in her past had taught her caution when it came to relationships. She needed to be sure he’d be around when he knew the real her. For now, Raef would have to be happy with what she could give and not what she failed to say.
“We know so very little about one another,” she said when they came up for air. “Are you sure you love me?”
He smiled charmingly. “Yes, I’m sure. I don’t need to know anything except that I love you. I know that you’re an only child like me and that your parents are gone, like mine. We share the same love for nature and appreciate beauty, loyalty, and honesty. And…you’re completely irresistible. That is enough for me.”
“There is something you don’t know about me.” Guilt gnawed inside over keeping this from him. “I don’t know how to say it.”
“You can tell me anything. Nothing you say will change how I feel about you.”
“Remember during our visit to the village, we talked about children and I asked if you wanted kids?”
He tilted his head just slightly and eyed her curiously. “Yes…I remember. I told you I didn’t want any and you said you could no longer have them.”
“I lied.” She paused then blurted out, “I’m sorry! But you seemed very relieved that you’d never had kids and you made it clear you didn’t want any.” She bit her lip anxiously. “I’m so sorry I lied to you. I never had a tubal ligation but I was using birth control during my marriage and while I was with Hatch. I’d never want to bear their offspring.”
“Was? Why are you telling me this now? Are you pregnant? Are we expecting?”
“No…no, I’d never trick you into fatherhood, hell no. I’m not like that.”
A look of clarity flitted through his eyes. “Are you asking me to have a child with you?”
“The thought has crossed my mind. I am only forty-one. There is still time for me once my next assignment is complete.”
“Is this about Naami? Do you feel threatened by her possible conception?”
“No, I’m not worried about her. But I was cruel earlier. I don’t really want you to suffer, or be punished for Naami’s actions. I was fairly pissed off.”
“I noticed.”
“However, there is something else you should know.”
“More?” He raised questioning brows.
“I tried telling you that we don’t know each other very well yet.”
Raef drew a deep breath. “Okay, lay it on me.”
She decided to just spill it. “Before my training was complete, I was careless and got pregnant to a male warrior. He was from a different bloodline so the breeding was ordained. I was very close to graduating and the sisterhood had gone to great extremes to ensure my future. My destiny was not to have children. I could not let them down.”
“What did you do with the child? Did you get an abortion?”
“No, I’d never do that. The Supreme Lioness took me into hiding until the child was born. Then she took her away and placed her with an anonymous surrogate until my instruction was complete. The woman was never told whose baby it was. After the Sai masters confirmed my successful completion of their training, they returned to their homeland. I then left the village to pursue my calling as a warrior.”
“Her? You have a daughter?” Warmth hung on his voice.
“Somewhere out there. Because of my elite status and calling, I made the unselfish choice in order to protect my daughter. If the enemy ever discovered her identity, they’d use it against me. I couldn’t bear the thought of her suffering because of me. All evidence of her birth was destroyed. She was given a clean start and told that her parents were covert warriors who never entered the village.”
“But you know who she is, right?”
Flame shook her head and forced the sadness aside. “The Lioness asked me to stay on the road and perfect my warrior skills while they raised the child. So I complied with her request. During that time, I married Aiden, my biggest mistake. My marriage to him set me back a little, but the Lioness extended a lot of patience toward me in light of the situation. She understands matters of the heart.”
“Your nation of women is very complex.”
“Yes, we are.”
“So you have no idea which of those women could be your daughter? Could it be Naami?”
“Oh, no way, thank God,” Flame said with a little laugh. “Naami’s heritage is well known. She comes from a long line of queens and unless she births a girl, the line ends with her.”
“Ah, her desperate actions make a little sense.”
“I guess so. She keeps popping out boys.”
“You mean I’m not her first mating?”
“Don’t look so surprised.” She laughed. “Naami has been breeding since she turned eighteen. She is highly skilled in the art of seduction.”
“I won’t say what came to mind out of respect for your race.” He grinned roguishly.
“Now you know my dark secret. I can’t tell you about my private meetings with the Lioness, though. Hopefully, this will help that trust issue. That is if what I just confessed hasn’t scared you away.”
He touched her lips with one finger. “I’m not going anywhere. I understand why you’d keep something like this buried. It must be hell for you to never have seen your daughter.”
“Sometimes it gets very hard. I console myself with the fact that she is safely in the village somewhere and well protected. My life has not tainted hers, for which I am grateful. We may have crossed paths but we’d never know it. Nobody knew I was pregnant except the Lioness. No one knows I had a child except her…and now you.”
“I’m sorry for doubting your trust in me.”
“Now you know how much I do trust you. If anyone ever found out that I have a daughter, they would hunt us both down. The question still remains, do you trust me?”
“Yeah. I’ll never question your motives again.” He kissed her lips. “I would love to have a child with you if that is what you want.”
She gazed at him in adoration. So forgiving and tender hearted, her Raef. “Will you ask me again after I complete the mission on hand?”
“You bet I will. I love you, angel.”
“You make everything seem so easy.”
“It can be if you let it.” He gave her a sexy wink.
“I’ll work on that.” She pulled his head down for another kiss. “In the meantime, we can make practice runs on that baby-making idea.”
&nbs
p; “Mm, I love the sound of that.”
They rolled about on the oversized sofa rapt in passion. He caressed her hair and body with a loving touch while kissing her with deep affection. She returned his love earnestly, basking in the connection between them. His hand went to her shorts. She was more than ready to welcome him into her body. Just as he began to slide them down her legs, the doorbell rang.
“Ignore it,” he muttered against her neck.
They resumed their heated exchange but the ringing continued followed by pounding on the door. Flame stole a glance out a window and noticed the sun had risen.
“Someone is really insistent on seeing you.”
He bit playfully at her neck. “They’ll think I’m sleeping and go away.”
“Jackson, I know you’re in there. Get your ass outta bed!” Cooper O’Toole shouted from outside.
“Were you expecting him?”
Raef shook his head. “No.”
“He sounds upset.”
“Damn. I better see what he wants.” He untangled his body from hers then tickled her stomach. “You stay right here. Don’t move. I will be right back.” He gave her a wink.
She smiled and watched him pick up the towel, knot it at his waist, then walk to the door in the foyer.
“What’s up?” Raef asked after opening the door.
“I wanna talk about what happened to Ian.” Cooper staggered inside.
“You’re drunk, man. Maybe you should sleep it off first.”
Flame peeked over the arm of the couch and watched.
“I wanna know h-how you got my-my b-best buddy killed. You said s-something about Cass-Cassie taking him down with h-her,” Cooper slurred. His eyes looked heavy and his face was unshaven.
“Yeah.” Raef nodded. “Cassie had given herself to the Satellite then went after Ian. She seduced him and they both went up in flames.”
“Flames,” Cooper repeated. “It was that sisterhood bitch, wasn’t it? You’re covering for her. Sh-she killed them!”
“No, man. Ian and Cassie were in way over their heads. Flame had nothing to do with their mistake. Don’t you remember? You and Ian lured her out here to kill the Satellite.”
“But she failed and now my friends are dead. And you’re in love with the slut.”