Pret Ops: Familiar
Emma Ray Garrett
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Copyright ©2007 Emma Ray Garrett
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ISBN: 978-1-59596-332-1
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Changeling Press LLC
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Editor: Crystal Esau
Cover Artist: Reneé George
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Chapter 1
One look at the mark on the missive turned Lt. Col. Natalie Marshall into a puddle of sexually frustrated putty. And that just wouldn’t do. Nat refused to act like a lovesick girl. Besides, no self-respecting Marshall woman would let herself fawn.
“Thank you, Leslie. That’ll be all.” Leslie, with “an s, not a z,” Filmore was hands down the best Admin. Specialist the world ever spawned. She was tough as nails, organized beyond imagining, and human. The last made her exceptional. The older woman took all the Recondite Corps oddities in stride, never gasping, blinking, or shirking when faced with things that weren’t supposed to exist.
Stop avoiding. Open the letter and see what he wants. Scooting her chair closer to the desk, she picked up the envelope, her fingers caressing the tiger’s head pressed into the blue wax holding the flap closed. Nat slid her finger beneath the edge of the envelope, careful not to break the insignia. She pulled the plain white stationery from inside, unfolding it and taking in the strong bold strokes of Stanislov Rubenesso’s handwriting.
Lt. Col. Marshall,
The Veil has taken two more geneticists. It is imperative we find the seven missing scientists and stop The Veil from following through with their plan. Sources have revealed a possible target with information. Please report to Slip Creek, Wyoming, forthwith.
Gen. Rubenesso
Nat sighed as she set the letter down. What did you expect? A proclamation of undying love? She pressed the intercom button on her phone and waited for Leslie to respond, all the while shaking her head at the silliness of feeling disappointment.
“Yes?” Leslie’s warm voice came over the line.
“Cancel all my appointments and call Major O’Connor. I’m being ordered to Slip Creek.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The line went dead as Natalie stood from the desk. She caught her reflection in the ornate mirror decorating the far wall of her office and took in the powerful woman in its silvery surface. Long golden hair secured in a tight French twist, nary a strand out of place. Her military issued uniform looked like BDUs, battle dress uniforms, for the Marine Corps, save for the gray color. The black infinity symbols on her collar denoted her rank and marked her as Recondite Corps. Full breasts, a trim waist, long legs, all of them made her an attractive package.
Natalie met her own clear green eyes in the mirror and pursed her lips.
She turned toward the large window behind her desk. The view looked out over the dense forests of the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia, but she didn’t see it. She didn’t register the cars moving along the streets of Cutterville, filled with the People of the Recondere, her people, going about their lives as anyone else. To human onlookers, Cutterville and every other enclave of the People were nothing unique. Little did humanity know just how different these little towns were.
Leslie’s voice snapped over the intercom. “Ma’am?”
Natalie turned away from the window. “Yes?”
“Major O’Connor is here.”
“Send him in.”
The door to her office opened and Nat smiled at her second in command and motioned him to enter. Brian O’Connor looked as Irish as his name sounded. He had bright orange hair, cut to military specifications, and bright blue eyes that sparkled with mischief even in the direst circumstances.
“Brian, you have command. General Rubenesso has ordered me to Slip Creek ASAP. Two more geneticists were abducted and it looks like I’m going in to recover. The whole thing is a cluster fuck.”
“Affirmative. Is there anything I’ll need to address while you’re away?” Brian strode to her desk as Natalie opened her appointment book.
“The Orphic Class is running smooth, as it should. I have a meeting scheduled next Thursday with Lt. Col. Black to discuss Guardian Class and Orphic Class ops currently in action. There’s a meeting on Friday with the Diplomacy Unit’s head, Karia Logan. I still can’t figure out why that girl didn’t join the Incubic Class. She’s a hell of a diplomat and negotiator, but I’d like to have her talents in the military side of the Corps.”
“That and it’d be nice to be able to meet with the Incubic Commander. Jeremiah Dean is a hard one to nail down.” Brian’s eyes crinkled at the corners and Nat laughed. Dean was an unknown commodity and a seven-hundred-year-old vampire. His loyalty to the People and the Corps was unquestionable, though his ability to avoid meetings was a pain in the ass.
“If you need any information, ask Leslie. I don’t think you will, but in case, I’ll clear her to disseminate as you need.”
“How long will you be gone?”
Natalie sighed. “I don’t know. General Rubenesso’s message didn’t give any details. We know The Veil is behind the disappearances. It’s what we don’t know that has us worried.”
“Agreed. Well, Nat, good luck.”
Natalie gave Brian a small wave and left the office. Leslie grinned when she saw Nat. “Here’s the file. The jet is waiting on the tarmac. Godspeed and stay out of trouble.”
“I’m going to be within sight of General Rubenesso. I’m sure there’ll be trouble.”
Chapter 2
“General Rubenesso, sir. Lt. Col. Marshall has arrived and the jet is taxiing, sir.” Stanislov’s current aide, a lieutenant whose name he couldn’t remember, returned the walkie-talkie he’d just spoken on to his belt. Stas nodded to the man.
“Make sure my schedule is cleared until further notice. And tell General Marshall his daughter has arrived. Dismissed.” The lieutenant saluted and left Stas’s private residence.
Stanislov looked around his quarters. They were luxurious, he supposed, but the lack of personal objects made the place look more like a fine hotel suite than a home. He glanced at his watch, estimating forty-five minutes for the Marshalls to greet and catch up.
With a nod to himself, Stas headed into his bedroom. He stopped at the small desk across from the bed, eyeing his checklist. The only thing left to do was debrief Natalie and deploy. He’d met with Joshua Black, C. O. of the Guardian Class, earlier in the day, letting the other man know he was the top dog until Stanislov returned but especially if he didn’t.
If this op went bad, Joshua Black would be the new Commander of the Recondite Corps. The other man was unparalleled as both a tactician and a warrior. If Stanislov couldn’t lead the Corps, Joshua wasn’t the next best thing; he was as good or better. Black had voiced loud objections to the Commander of the Corps going on a mission, but Stanislov wouldn’t change his mind. He was the only person among the ranks who knew The Veil from the inside. He was Russian by birth, which
would make it much easier to infiltrate the small villages used as recruiting centers and hideouts. And he had a score to settle.
He clenched his jaw. He looked at his watch again and decided to clean up with the thirty minutes he had left. With quick, efficient motions, Stanislov divested himself of clothing and entered the large bathroom attached to the bedroom.
He didn’t waste time getting the water ready. Stepping inside the stall, his feet slid against the cool tile and he steadied himself along the wall. His thoughts turned to Natalie Marshall, as they did so often since he’d first seen her. She had been so tiny in the arms of her mother. Her spun gold hair curled against a tiny head, her newborn, milky blue eyes open and alert. Stas had been terrified when Noelle had placed the girl in his arms, but the moment he’d felt the slightness of her tiny body against his chest, he’d known he would protect Natalie Marshall with the very last of his breath.
He’d wanted to protect that child. And he had, until she was six. He’d left the Marshall home to join the Corps at seventeen. Despite being across the world, he’d never forgotten Natalie. He’d written her every week and looked forward to each reply she sent. As her sixteenth birthday approached, Natalie had made him promise to attend.
Stanislov had expected to see an older version of the child she had been when he left. Instead, Natalie had become a young woman. And Stas’s body had stirred with emotions that were anything but familial. His new reaction to Natalie was unacceptable in Stanislov’s mind. William Marshall had saved him from the streets of Moscow, brought Stas into his home and his family, and loved him as a son. To act on his feelings for Natalie would have been an act of betrayal and Stanislov refused to betray the one man he respected above all others and the only family he knew.
Then Natalie had come to his bedroom and offered him his dreams. The agony he’d suffered that night made his chest ache even now. It wasn’t the lust that had threatened to tear him apart, but the pain and tears he’d caused Natalie that still twisted his guts and made his heart clench. It was the anguish in her eyes when he’d told her to get dressed and get out. When he’d said he didn’t want her.
Natalie had whispered she loved him. Stas had sneered, telling her the adoration of a child was nowhere near as satisfying as the love of a real woman. Nat had dressed, then turned to him with unshed tears in her eyes. She’d apologized and left the room. It was the last time he’d been alone with her in twelve years.
Since then, Stas saw the cold, hard Lt. Col., or the hellcat with the scathing tongue and soul ripping barbs. She looked at him with disgust in either form. And God help him, he wanted nothing more than to tear her clothes away and fuck her, until the memories of that night were obliterated and she knew without a doubt how much he loved her, every single time he saw her.
“Shit.” Stanislov slapped his palms against the shower wall and groaned. He looked down at his swollen cock, pre-come glistening at its tip, thick veins roping its length, pulsing with each breath he took. He couldn’t greet her like this. He licked his dry lips and reached for the bottle of soap nearby. His cock produced its own lubricant, but Stas liked a little extra.
Stanislov wrapped his large, masculine hand around the heavy organ and closed his eyes. The image of Natalie quickly filled his head, and he began to stroke his cock with purpose.
He imagined himself directing Natalie to touch herself, to show him her hot pussy, to taste her juices for him, to pinch and pull her tiny nipples until they begged for his attention. As the fantasy grew, he saw her turn around and bend over, the soft glow of the bedside lamp glittering against the dampness between her legs.
His balls drew tight, and the blunted barbs unique to his species rose along the length of his shaft. Each pass of his soapy hand over the exquisitely sensitive nubs ripped a low, animal growl from his throat. Stanislov sped his movements, while he envisioned her pink lips wrapped around his cock, sliding up and down, a string of her saliva mixed with his pre-come connecting them. His muscles tightened as he pictured her on her back, her legs spread, the lips of her sex swollen and unfurled. Her pussy shone in the fantasy, so wet, so ready for him. The instant his imaginings pressed his cock into the molten clutch of her cunt, Stanislov bellowed his orgasm into the bathroom. The rounded barbs swelled, and his cock became engorged as explosion after explosion tripped down his spine and propelled come all over his hand and the shower.
Stas labored to breathe and lightheadedness disoriented him. He turned slowly in the shower, bracing himself against the wall while the water washed away the evidence of his release. It’s no damn wonder I love her. I can’t fuck another woman and come like that! A soft snort escaped his lips as Stas raised a shaky hand to his face. “Shit, this op is FUBAR already.” He looked at his watch. Ten minutes to go and he wouldn’t be late. With the speed and effectiveness only a lifetime soldier has, Stas finished the shower, shaved, and dressed with three minutes to spare.
He had a destiny to meet and neither he nor destiny was patient.
Chapter 3
“So your mother told Lena to smack Alec around a little.”
“Oh, God, did she --”
“Yes, she did. Told the girl how Alec used to ask for harder spankings!” William Marshall clutched his belly and loud, warm laughter filled the conference room. Nat chortled along with him, wiping the tears leaking from her eyes. It was good to laugh, relieving some of her tension and giving her a good moment to cherish if this op went south.
“Hmm, Dad, I’m glad you’re here.” Nat reached across the table, gripping his large, warm hands in her own. He squeezed her fingers firmly, telling her with touch and with the love in his eyes how much she meant to him.
“So am I, pumpkin. So am I.” Worry filled William’s eyes. “Are you ready for this?”
“As ready as I can be.” She motioned to the large manila folder on the table. “Rubenesso’s file is fairly detailed.” A sharp rap sounded at the door. Natalie released her father’s hands and stood. The door opened and Stanislov stepped inside.
The first thing she noticed was his burnt umber hair. He kept it so short his natural striping showed clearly. The second thing she noticed was his eyes. A peridot green rarely seen in humans, they were all feline. He had broad shoulders, a deep chest, and stood an impressive 6’4” tall, which stirred her blood and made her pussy tighten.
“Stanislov.”
“Natalie.”
She nodded, carefully hiding her reaction to seeing him again.
Inside she was seething with a rapacious, all encompassing, violent hunger. It was like this every time she was near him; anger and need would surge through her blood, pulse between her thighs. Natalie had an insane desire to hit him, bite him, scratch him, anything to force him to acknowledge what lay between them.
Oh, yes, Natalie knew how Stas felt about her. Emotions didn’t lie. Natalie wasn’t a strong empath. In fact, her skills were as good as they probably would ever be. Her innate empathic ability worked only as far as her family. And Stanislov.
That’s why at sixteen she’d offered herself to him, and why it was so hard to let bygones be bygones. Her own deep embarrassment mixed with his emotions each time they were together and fueled her anger at both of them. She’d tried to forget Stanislov, to put down what she felt as a teenage crush and no more. Too bad she wasn’t good at lying to herself. Her feelings for Stas tore her up inside each time she thought of him.
Natalie’d hoped keeping distance between them would help. They only ran into each other every few years. But to her horror, each time they shared space, her response to his presence wasn’t just physical. Absence only made her heart grow fonder, as each time she saw him her feelings grew deeper, stronger, and even more confused.
She hid her pain and knowledge behind indifference and anger. It simply hurt too much. Her heart hadn’t healed from the incident when she was sixteen and it probably never would. Knowing he felt the same ache in his chest and fire in his blood would make sure it never did
.
“Natalie, are you with us?” her dad asked softly.
“Yeah, I’m here. Just thinking what possible reason The Veil could have for taking these scientists.” She raised her eyes to Stas’s, felt the pulse of desire as their gazes met, and fought the urge to lick her lips. Stas was as good at covering his outward responses as she was, but he raised one thick eyebrow at her, as if he suspected she hadn’t been mulling over the mission.
Stas’s warm baritone filled the room. “Each of the seven scientists taken is part of the collaborative research project funded by the Sela Foundation.” With purposeful strides, he moved to the head of the table and the open laptop there. A few rapid-fire keystrokes and the interactive white board behind him filled with pictures of the scientists.
Nat cleared her throat. “The project’s focus is on creating a viable recombinant DNA technique in order to transgenetically modify and gene splice more complex DNA strands into higher organisms, including humans.” She leafed through her file, pulling out pages on the study.
“Exactly. We have to get those scientists back and destroy any data The Veil has managed to accrue.”
“Do we have any intel on why a group of preternaturals would be interested in high order genetic engineering? It seems a little redundant to me. They’re already more highly evolved than man.” Nat sat back in her chair and looked away from the data to meet Stanislov’s spectacular eyes.
“We already know why.”
She watched his jaw clench slightly and felt a flare of rage from him. “Care to share? Or is that need to know?”
“Karl Igborski wants one thing. He wants to be a chimera. It’s what The Veil spends its considerable power and influence trying to attain.” Stanislov glared at her and Natalie suppressed a lusty shiver.
“But shapeshifters can’t change into more than one animal. You have to be a metamorphic mage to do that.”
Pret Ops: Familiar Page 1