Surprising Jakkin, Raylon chuckled. “No, I’m pretty sure I’m bonded with her. Fortunately, Dakar has had better luck with Alyssa.”
“Dakar persuaded Alyssa to talk?” He emitted a low whistle. “I’m impressed.”
“It wasn’t a fair contest. Kelsey’s a trained operative. Alyssa’s a hacker. She’s not used to field work.”
“A hacker? Why would Solar Warden send a hacker to Lunar Nine?”
“They wanted to screw with our computers, disrupt our operation and slow us down. But they couldn’t get past our security without physical access to the crystal array.”
“Unbelievable.” Jakkin shook his head, astonished by their misplaced ambition. The battle born were no threat to humans. When would they realize that simple fact? “What was Kelsey’s role in all this?”
“Kelsey is Alyssa’s backup, her bodyguard. And unlike Alyssa, Kelsey has years of experience in the field. I would have been shocked if Kelsey told you anything.”
“What else did Alyssa tell Dakar?” Jakkin asked with a sigh.
“We’d already guessed most of it, but there was one kicker.”
Jakkin wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Some small part of him had still hoped it was all some unfortunate mistake. He didn’t want Kelsey to be a spy. How could he form a life-long bond with the enemy? “What’s the kicker?”
“We now know the identity of Shadow Leader. His name is Martin Wallace. He’s Alyssa’s father.”
“We have Shadow Leader’s daughter in custody?” Jakkin shook his head, dumbfounded by the development. “That could be useful.”
“Well, she’s in custody the same way Kelsey is in custody. Are you ready for me to take over interrogating your potential mate?”
“Hells no.”
Raylon grinned. “Dakar feels much the same. As long as we end up with the information we need, I don’t particularly care how it’s obtained.”
“What more do we need to know from Kelsey?”
“She’s an actual operative. If you can get her talking, the information could be invaluable. We need to know anything and everything about Solar Warden. They’ve been surprisingly successful about keeping details obscured.”
“Understood,” Jakkin muttered. “The facts Alyssa provided will help.”
“Good. Let me know when you have more.”
Jakkin stubbornly avoided Kelsey until well into the evening. He had a runner take her another meal tray, but he ate with his officers, enjoying a much needed break from the conflicts surrounding them. He dreaded the coming confrontation, but it was pointless to avoid it any longer, so he went to his cabin long after evening had turned to night.
She lay on the sofa, projecting a vidfile onto the ceiling above her. When he entered, she turned off the file and sat up. “If I’m not under arrest, I want to be released.” Her tone was calm yet firm, and determination burned in her light brown eyes.
Had she been rehearsing this all afternoon? Well, it was doubtful she was prepared for what he was about to tell her. “Alyssa is cooperating. It’s best if you do the same.”
“Sure she is, and best for whom?” She stood as he came around to the front of the couch.
He’d been patient with her, probably putting up with more of her dishonesty than was helpful to either of them. Well, it ended tonight. He’d hoped she would be truthful with him without being confronted with the facts. Obviously, that wasn’t going to happen.
“Thanks to Alyssa, we know Martin Wallace is Shadow Leader, and Alyssa is his daughter.” Her eyes widened and the color drained from her face. “Was that a lucky guess?”
“What in God’s name did you do to her? There’s no way she gave up her dad without a fight.”
He smiled. Finally they moved beyond denial. “Alyssa is not your concern anymore. You need to worry about what’s going to happen to you. What was your mission objective? And before you speak, know this. Alyssa already explained it, so don’t bother with lies.”
“If Alyssa told you about the mission, you don’t need to hear it from me.” Her chin raised and defiance gleamed in her eyes. “Lock me up or let me go. This is annoying.”
He advanced, suddenly unable to fight back his need to touch her, subdue her, claim her. “I have a better idea.” It sounded more threatening than he’d intended, but she deserved nothing less. She’d lied to him, tricked him and used him. Her day of reckoning had just arrived. “Let’s finish what we started last night.”
She laughed, the sound sharp and mocking. “Last night I had a reason to pretend I was into you.”
He fisted the back of her hair, careful not to hurt her. “If that was pretense, you should be on the stage. You’re the best damn actress I’ve ever seen.”
“Let. Go!” She grabbed his wrist, her nails digging into his flesh.
He leaned down, lips almost touching hers. “Or what?”
“Or this.” She raised her knee, her target obvious.
Twisting just in time, he absorbed the impact with his thigh. But his infuriated mate wasn’t finished. She swung for his face, fingers balled for maximum damage. He turned his head, but she was faster this time and her fist connected with his jaw. He grunted, more annoyed than hurt. She was surprisingly strong for such a small person.
He needed to contain her movements or this would turn into a full-on brawl, and he didn’t want to risk hurting her. She jammed her elbow into his ribs, then punched him in the stomach. Her blows were focused and powerful, obviously meant to do as much damage as possible. Any creature, or being, was more dangerous when they were cornered and felt threatened, or afraid. He really didn’t want her to fear him.
Wrapping his free arm firmly around her waist, he turned sharply to the side and pressed her back against the nearest wall. He held her there with the weight of his body as he gathered her flailing wrists and pulled her arms above her head. She fought him every step of the way.
“You want to fight, or would you rather talk this out? I’m good with either.”
She glared up at him, tugging against his restraining fingers. “I want to be as far away from you as I can get. Are you good with that?”
He chuckled. She was adorable when she was angry. Her cheeks flushed and her eyes flashed and it was all he could do not to kiss her. “Are you sure about that? You’re breathing really fast and I’m not smelling anger, hellion. I’m smelling desire.”
“As usual, you’re deluded.”
Tired of her lies, he shifted her wrists into one hand and used the other to pull up her dress. “I say we find out just how deluded I am.”
She twisted and cursed, but his hand soon covered her sex. “Your panties are damp. I bet you’re even wetter.”
Squeezing her thighs together, she tried to impede his progress. “You do not have permission to touch me.”
“I don’t remember asking for permission.” Despite her efforts, he slipped his hand inside her panties and groaned. She wasn’t just damp, she was sopping, her folds soaked with building arousal. Her mouth might be refusing him, but her body was begging him to continue. He angled his head and sealed his mouth over hers. She murmured, refusing to respond to him—at first.
His touch remained light and teasing against her sex, he caressed her, gentled her, while his mouth slowly seduced. Gradually her lips softened and she began to echo the movements of his tongue.
“Open for me,” he whispered the directive against her mouth then went right back to kissing her. She moved her feet apart, making room for him between her thighs. “That’s right.”
He touched her boldly now, thumb lightly rubbing her clit while he pushed two fingers into her moist core. She groaned at the slight penetration and his cock bucked against the confines of his pants. He wanted her, needed to be inside her so badly his entire body ached. She wasn’t struggling anymore, so he released her wrists and lowered his hand to the back of her neck.
With sudden impatience, she reached under her dress and took off her panties. Her eagern
ess thrilled him, urged him onward. He slipped into her warm, wet, depths and left his fingers there while he caressed her clit. Her inner walls pulsed around him, warning of her impending release. He moved his thumb away and slowly slid his fingers out.
“Jakkin,” she moaned out his name, hips arching.
“We had enough of that last night.” He pulled back far enough so he could look into her eyes. “The next time you come, you come around my cock.” He gave her a moment to realize he was serious. “Do you want that now or later?”
For a second, he thought she’d deny him. She glared at him, then muttered, “Screw it,” and reached for the front of his uniform pants. It was quickly obvious she didn’t know how they opened, so he helped her, parting the seam and pushing the garment low enough to expose his sex. She immediately reached for him, her hand bold and warm. She stroked him firmly, gaze narrowed as they both watched her hand slide up and down his engorged length.
It felt so good, he had to stop her. “Enough.” He brushed her hand aside and lifted one of her legs to his hip. She wasn’t tall enough for him to reach her entrance, so he lifted her and wrapped both legs around his waist. “No regrets. Are you sure you want this?”
“I want it. I’ve wanted it for weeks.”
He guided himself to her entrance, then shifted his hands to her hips. Rather than thrusting up into her, he let her slide down the wall, slowly impaling herself on his thick shaft. Her eyes shut and she groaned as he slid deeper and deeper into her core. When she’d taken his entire length, he paused and slipped his hand between their bodies.
“Look at me.” She didn’t obey immediately, so he squeezed her bottom. “Open your eyes.”
Gradually, her lids lifted and she met his hot gaze.
“Who’s inside you?” He stroked her clit with his thumb as he waited for her reply.
“You are,” she whispered.
“And who am I?”
“Jakkin, my enemy.”
He smiled despite her ongoing rebellion. “I’m your mate, not your enemy.” His touch became more focused, more demanding.
“You’re both, and I’m a fool because I don’t care anymore.” Her arms wrapped around his neck and she dragged his mouth down to hers.
Unable to hold back any longer, he moved both hands to her nicely rounded ass and began filling her with deep, forceful thrusts. She clung to him, breasts quivering, core clinging as he kept her in place with his steady strokes of his hips. She panted, clutching at his shoulders. He tightened his hold on her butt, supporting the firm cheeks while he moved deep inside her.
He wanted to make it last all night, maybe switch to a more conventional position, but his body demanded surrender. He thrust harder, faster, and she gasped with each impact of his body. Soon they gasped together and his movements were almost violent.
His spirit stirred within the intensity created by their bodies, instinctively reaching for his mate. He fought against the overwhelming urge to conquer and dominate. He could not claim her now, couldn’t bind their souls together until she was sure, or at least willing to be claimed. But his being wouldn’t be denied completely.
Slipping gently into her mind, he basked in her passion, greedily absorbing her hunger as he formed a tenuous link. She gasped, then cried out as his energy surged, feeding the connection and anchoring it firmly within her mind.
“What did… Oh God!” She tossed her head from side to side, as if shaking off the sudden flood of sensations and emotions.
He eased back, compressing the link to a tiny drizzle of shared ecstasy. He could still sense her and knew she could sense him, but the exchange whispered where before it shouted.
She arched, taking him even deeper as her arousal broke, showering them both with white-hot tingles. The rhythmic spasms of her orgasm triggered his. Helpless to hold back the tide, he thrust into her one last time and released his seed deep inside her. Pleasure shot up through him, making his temples throb and their connection vibrate. His knees threatened to buckle as the pulses of sensation went on and on.
He rested his forehead against hers as they panted in unison, gradually returning to reality. Emotions flowed between them, muted now, yet still distinct. Fear and regret twisted through her momentary contentment. Desperate to understand her, he filtered the emotions through his psychic sensitivity. Her physical hunger for their joining terrified her, yet she wasn’t afraid of the act, clearly she enjoyed sharing pleasure with him. She feared wanting something she could never have. But she could have the security of a mate and all the intimacies that followed. All she had to do was stop fighting against their attraction. So why was she still afraid?
His legs were shaking, so he reluctantly separated their bodies and set her down. She stayed against the wall, hands slipping from his neck, to his chest, then to her sides. Her eyes slowly opened as rationality returned.
“What did you do to me?” She sounded defeated, not angry. And that was even harder to hear. He’d just shared pleasure with his mate for the first time. She should be content and filled with hope. “I could suddenly feel what you were feeling. Did you bond with me?”
“I didn’t claim you,” he stressed. “I formed a transfer link. It’s not permanent and it’s easily blocked if you don’t want me in your mind.”
“I don’t. You know I don’t, so why did you form it?”
He pushed off the wall and righted his pants as she quickly adjusted her dress. “It was the only way I could maintain control.” As soon as the link activated, she’d felt the urgency, the consuming force compelling him to claim her. Why did she continue to lie to herself? It was irrational.
“Undo it.”
He tensed, wanting to shake some sense into her. He’d felt her emotions, knew her desire burned just as hot as his. They were clearly meant to be together, yet she persisted with these arguments. “No.” Finality rang through his tone. “It allows me to sense you, to protect you more easily.”
“It allows you to spy on me!”
He laughed at the irony, but found it anything but funny. “There is a spy in this room, but it’s not me.”
“You fed me a tracker and now you’ve formed an unwanted link with my mind. On Earth we call that stalking.”
“Rodytes call it surveillance,” he countered, anger pushing through his frustration. “It’s how we catch spies.”
“Arrest me or let me go.”
He’d been too accommodating, too patient with her. She was a warrior, like him. Maybe she’d respond better to a show of strength. “If you really want to be treated like an enemy, I’m about ready to oblige you.”
“This was a horrible mistake,” she insisted, and his heart gave a sickening lurch. How could she say that? It had been the most pleasurable experience of his life. “Put me in the brig. I am not your mate. I’m your enemy.”
Exasperated beyond reason, he clenched his fists as he snarled, “From this moment on, it will be as you say.”
* * * * *
Kelsey spent the next eight days in a holding cell aboard the Fearless. For the first three days she was so angry, she didn’t care that Jakkin ignored her completely. On the fourth day, one of the runners brought her a datapad, but she quickly realized that nearly all the functions had been disabled. She could no longer send or receive any form of communication and she had no access to the ship’s computer, which meant she had no access to Earth’s internet. There was an assortment of books and video files, however, and the break from complete boredom kept her from losing her mind.
She frequently thought about Alyssa, wondering what was happening to her. Was she a prisoner, or had Dakar succeeded in seducing her? Either possibility was discouraging, and the uncertainty became more oppressive with each passing day.
The same boy soldier brought all of her meal trays and each day he became a little more talkative. His full name had about fifteen syllables, but everyone called him Broc. He had shaggy dark hair and wide inquisitive eyes. She couldn’t help thinking tha
t was what Jakkin must have looked like around the same age. It was ridiculous that she thought of Jakkin at all. He’d been a thorn in her side from day one. Their momentary loss of control changed nothing. This was not her world and he was not…
Even in her mind, she couldn’t complete the lie. Jakkin was her mate. Making love with him—and feeling his mind touch hers—made it impossible to deny. She felt incomplete without him, vulnerable in a way she’d never experienced before. When she lost Daniel, she’d sworn she would never allow her happiness to depend on another person, any other person. The emotional distance had kept her safe and protected ever since.
It had also kept her isolated, her emotions muted.
But Jakkin penetrated her stubborn defenses. He ignored her resistance and patiently dismantled her barriers. And she’d rejected him for it, provoked him until he’d finally lost his temper. He’d reached out over and over, yet each time she’d slapped his hand away.
Maybe it was time for her to reach out for him. She longed for him, ached for the security and soul-deep intimacy only available to bonded mates. She knew what she needed to do. Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure how to make it happen. He had to be furious with her. Who wouldn’t be angry? Worst of all, she’d betrayed his trust. Why would he believe anything she told him now?
On the eighth morning, Broc deactivated a small section of the force field comprising the front wall of her cell. He set down the breakfast tray, slid it forward, then reactivated the energy barrier and turned to go. And he did it all without uttering a word. Had he been reprimanded for spending time with her?
“Broc, are you okay?”
“I’m worried about Commander Arvik.” He sounded embarrassed by the admission. “He’s the first commander I’ve served who makes sure his men treat us with respect. I don’t want anything to happen to him.”
“Why are you so worried? What’s different about today?”
He looked around as if to make sure no one was listening. “He went on a mission with Senior Enforcer Lux, and Commander Nox. I don’t know what they’re doing, but it must be very dangerous to require such important warriors.” His chin began to quiver and he quickly turned away.
Fearless (Battle Born Book 12) Page 9