by Aubrey Ross
“She is way too emotional to be directly involved in this,” Bronik objected.
Alexi glared at him. “Give me some credit, please. As we evacuate the captives, it makes the most sense to flash them home. Inatta will need to have healers and a support staff ready. It will be no simple task to oversee that many traumatized females.”
“Traumatized males would be easier to oversee?” Eloise raised her chin and narrowed her eyes.
Alexi held up his hands and laughed. “You two are both spoiling for a fight. Go upstairs and work off some of this aggression and I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
Bronik’s frustration continued to simmer but he nodded. “Until tomorrow night.”
Eloise followed Bronik up the stairs, feeling restless and irritable. Alexi was right. She was spoiling for a fight. “How am I supposed to sleep knowing what those women are going through?”
“They’ve been prisoners for five months. They can last one more night.” Bronik opened his bedroom door and motioned her inside. “We’ll only have the element of surprise on our side once. We have to do it right the first time.”
“That doesn’t make this any easier,” she grumbled. “I can’t help feeling responsible. I should have dug deeper, asked more questions. I don’t know, just done more.”
He kicked the door shut with his foot and placed his hands on her shoulders. His gaze glimmered in the moonlight and the angles of his face seemed almost sinister. “You are not Tara or Garrett. None of this is your fault.”
She shook her head and lowered her gaze as regret churned within her. “I was selfish and shortsighted. I was so caught up in establishing my reputation that I didn’t think about anyone else.” The back of her throat burned and tears blurred her vision. “I can’t believe how much time and energy I wasted trying to please Tara.”
“That was the past. Tara no longer controls you.”
“I won’t rest until they’re free.”
Bronik ran his index finger along her jaw, drawing her attention back to his face. “You need to rest so you can help free them. You’ll be no good to anyone if you’re sleep-deprived and vengeful.”
“I can probably avoid sleep deprivation, but I doubt I’ll conquer my need for vengeance before tomorrow night.”
“You’re a seasoned warrior. I don’t doubt your skill, but what the captives need is someone they can trust.”
“And you think they’ll trust Tara’s daughter?”
He chuckled and kissed her forehead. “You can’t have it both ways, baby doll. Either you’re your own person or you’re not. If you don’t like the course Tara chose for your life, then change direction and dedicate yourself to your new goals.”
“You’re right. Besides, it sounds as if Tara is not going to hurt anyone anymore.”
“So all we need to do is make sure you sleep soundly.” He smiled and desire’s heat erupted in the depths of his eyes.
She returned his smile then moved closer to his warm body. “Do you have any ideas for helping me sleep?”
“Oh I have lots of ideas.” He swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed. “Top or bottom?”
It wasn’t often that he gave her the choice, so she whispered, “Top.” He placed her on the bed and tugged off her new boots. She pulled off her socks and tossed them onto the floor. By the time she’d unbuttoned her shirt and unzipped her jeans, he was already naked. “In a hurry?”
“Always.” He grabbed the bottom of her jeans and pulled them off as she wiggled and laughed. Her shirt and undergarments soon followed then he joined her on the bed.
They lay on their sides, arms and legs entwined. Their mouths locked and their tongues danced, stroking and swirling as they shared each other’s breath. For long, drugged moments they just kissed and pressed, absorbing the closeness and security of being together.
Suddenly he rolled to his back, taking her with him. She straddled his hips and rubbed her mound against his jutting cock. He groaned into her mouth and she began a slow rocking that intensified the heat and hunger. He latched on to one of her breasts as she caressed his length with her wet folds. His hands steadied her but she controlled the motion.
Desire electrified their link, making everything feel more intense, more complex. She shared her emotions freely and absorbed his responses with eager curiosity. He always seemed so hard, so focused, and yet his nature was incredibly passionate.
He sucked on one nipple and then the other. She arched, pushing herself deeper into his mouth. He caught her nipple between his teeth and flicked his tongue against the very tip. She pulled against the firm restriction of his teeth, savoring the sting before his swirling tongue soothed her tender flesh. She felt wild and wicked and hungry, eager for his fullness deep inside her.
“Come here.” He pulled on her hips, eyes narrowed and bright. “I want your taste in my mouth while I fuck you.”
She bit her bottom lip then smiled. “I have a better idea.” She reversed her position, settling her knees on either side of his head as she arched over his body. He grasped her thighs and dragged her pussy down to his waiting mouth as she closed her lips around the head of his cock.
Her gums burned as her hunger escalated but she suppressed the transformation, unwilling to risk injuring him. He lifted his hips toward her, pushing his length deeper into her mouth. She took him gladly, thrilled by his smooth hardness sliding against her lips and over her tongue.
He pushed her thighs apart, lowering her sex until her folds were flush with his lips. Then he drove his tongue deep into her core. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the gentle penetration. This felt wonderful but it only whetted her appetite for the thick stroke of his shaft.
I can’t wait, he cried.
Scalding need rushed into her mind along with the thought and her body echoed the longing. He lifted her off his face as he scrambled to his knees. She moved to the center of the bed and arranged herself on her forearms and knees. Lowering her shoulders, she spread her thighs, offering her body without reservation. The more aggressive he became the more liberated she felt. She couldn’t explain why she craved his dominance but she no longer resisted the urges.
He knelt behind her, his hand grasping the back of her neck as he drove his full length into her wet pussy. His throaty growl sent tingles down her spine and her inner muscles contracted around him.
“Gods you feel good.” His voice was harsh but his emotions caressed her soul.
She smiled into the bedding, thrilled by the possessive tenderness flowing into her mind. He pulled back slowly, pausing with just the tip of his cock inside her before he thrust deep again. She knew the rhythm, understood when to offer resistance and when to relax. His hands moved freely over her body, stroking her arms and sides, her hips and breasts.
His strokes remained long and leisurely as her passion smoldered. Then he grasped her hips and increased the speed and depth of each thrust. She pushed up against him, taking his entire length with each drive. He felt massive inside her, filling her as no one else could.
He slipped one hand between her thighs, accessing her clit from the front as he drove into her again and again. It only took a few skilled strokes of his fingertips to trigger her orgasm. She cried out and arched violently as her core pulsated around him.
The sensations were still ricocheting through her body as he wrapped his arms around her and stretched out on his back. She blanketed him, her back to his belly, her legs spread wide, arms raised above her head.
As the pleasure gradually faded, she realized he was still hard inside her, but he seemed in no hurry to find his own release. He caressed her boldly, exploring every inch of her skin. He worked her nipples into diamond-hard points before caressing her torso and belly. His fingers only grazed her mound before moving on to her thighs.
“Touch yourself,” he urged. “I want to lie here and relax while you bring yourself pleasure.”
She tensed, excited yet embarrassed by the directive. He couldn’t
see her but he could feel each shiver, each ripple as her arousal built. He grasped her hand and brought it to her sex, pressing her fingers into the slick cleft which enfolded his cock. She traced her delicate folds, felt how tightly they stretched to accommodate his thickness.
“How in the five hells did you get all that inside my ass?”
He chuckled. “Would you like a demonstration?”
“Not tonight,” she whispered, but she was no longer afraid. She trusted him implicitly, knew she was safe in his arms.
“Then make yourself come.”
“Yes, Sir.”
She touched herself, circling her clit with one hand while she pinched her nipples with the other. She’d never thought of her nipples as particularly sensitive until he’d taught her how to trigger the sensations. She tightened herself around him and closed her eyes, picturing her body draped over him, brazenly open with his cock deep inside her, joined as they were meant to join.
His hands gripped her hips and he began to rock, holding her up so he could move. She continued the tender assault on her clit, feeling the distant slide of his shaft beneath her fingertips. Her shoulders rested on his chest and she braced her feet against the bed as he thrust up into her.
“Come!”
The harsh command sent excitement spiking through her body. One firm tug on her clit launched spasms of pleasure deep into her abdomen. She gasped and trembled, caressing his cock with each deep convulsion.
He lifted her completely off him and turned her around then laid her back across the bed. She bent her knees and opened wide as he arched over her body. The face-to-face position was sweetest of all. He thrust back into her and she framed his face with her hands, guiding his mouth down to hers.
Their lips clung and their pelvises rolled, their bodies moving as one. She allowed her fangs to form then pricked her tongue and offered him her blood. He used the same sharp point to reciprocate and soon their tongues spread the rich mixture through their mouths. His taste thrilled her, exciting her symbionts as nothing else could.
His pace sped, his hips pounding fast and hard between her thighs. He ripped his mouth from hers and threw his head back as a fierce cry tore from his throat. Strigo fire blazed from his eyes and blood smeared his lips, yet she had never wanted him more.
Through the blazing intensity of their mutual lust threaded tenderness and soul-deep longing. This was so much more than physical. They shared emotions and energy as their bodies joined. They were mated body, soul and mind.
Suddenly his hands moved to frame her face and his shimmering gaze drilled into hers. “I love you and always will.”
“I love you more.” She smiled, feeling blissful and free.
His mouth returned to hers and emotions surged into her mind. The threads of tenderness expanded, blocking out the physical need until only pure, radiant joy remained. She opened her soul and shared the depths of her love in a language clearer than the spoken word.
He thrust into her one final time and allowed his control to snap. Pleasure radiated out of him, spilling into her along with his hot seed. She gasped into his mouth and followed him over, shuddering violently as waves of pleasure crashed over them both.
They clung together, savoring the tingling heat as the intensity gradually mellowed. He rolled to his side, taking her with him, his cock still deep inside her. She opened her eyes and smiled sleepily. “I’m feeling much less aggressive now.”
He laughed. “Yes, but are you sleepy?”
“Not particularly. What did you have in mind?”
He drew her leg high onto his hip and cupped her ass. “More of the same or perhaps a variation on the theme. There are lots of positions we haven’t tried yet.”
“Lead on, my love. I’m entirely at your disposal.”
He leaned down and nipped her neck then whispered, “Glad to hear it.”
* * * * *
Bronik quietly dressed and slipped from the bedroom just before dawn. He felt warm and content but not sleepy. Maybe if he confirmed that everything was ready for the mission he’d be able to sleep soundly. He paused with the door ajar and looked at Eloise. She was sprawled on her stomach, sheet tangled around her hips, the slender line of her back bathed in moonlight.
Tenderness swelled within him and he shook his head. He hadn’t gone searching for his mate, certainly hadn’t expected her to show up wielding a whip, but every molecule of his being knew this was real. They were meant to be together, come what may.
He eased the door shut and hurried down the corridor, scanning as he went. Alexi was in the basement with two other Strigo hosts and a human. Had they located Edrick’s accomplice or were they enjoying one of the new recruits?
Accessing the basement by the staircase in the back corner of the kitchen, Bronik sent his signal ahead and let Alexi know he was approaching. One of Edrick’s guards motioned Bronik into the large storeroom. A human female had been tied to a metal chair. She looked disheveled but not abused. The host beside Alexi looked familiar but Bronik couldn’t think of his name. A video camera sat on a tripod, likely to record the human’s testimony.
“Any luck?” he asked when the other two continued to stare at the female in brooding silence.
“She didn’t know much,” Alexi muttered. “Even under compulsion she offered very little.”
“She confirmed that Edrick had accepted an offer from Tara to arrange Alexi’s assassination,” the other man argued. “That little fact is pretty damn important.”
“This is Jerome, head of Edrick’s security,” Alexi introduced, apparently sensing Bronik’s curiosity.
He nodded toward Jerome then asked, “The lab was supposed to have been an ambush?”
“Yes, but she doesn’t know how Tara set it up. We might have another spy or Tara might have slipped the false information to someone who was completely unaware.” Alexi raked his hair with his hand and sighed. “She also has no details about the actual ambush. She really is nothing more than a messenger.”
“And a bribe,” Jerome reminded. “She was stashed in one of Edrick’s rentals and it was obvious what he’d been doing to her.”
She followed the conversation with hostile eyes but said nothing.
“She walked up to Edrick bold as brass after a meeting a few days ago,” Jerome explained. “I wasn’t sure if she was an old lover or what. Edrick ordered me into the car, so I didn’t hear their conversation. They just spoke for a minute or two and then Edrick sent her away, so I didn’t think much of it.”
“She called him two days later.” Alexi picked up the tale. “Edrick claimed someone was snooping around one of his rentals and he needed to go check it out. Now we know who and why.”
“Is Edrick still denying everything?” Bronik asked.
“He’s refusing to speak, period,” Jerome said.
“Attempted murder is more complicated than an actual assassination.” Bronik smiled at Alexi and added, “I’m glad the plot failed, but what are you going to do with Uncle Edrick now?”
“If Tara hadn’t been mind-wiped, I’d be dead. Edrick’s life is forfeit.” The regret in Alexi’s gaze made it obvious he was still struggling with the outcome.
“Edrick is a Yeager. You’ll need your father’s approval before the sentence is carried out.”
“I know.” He heaved another weary sigh and rolled his shoulders.
“And what will you do with her?” Bronik wasn’t sure why he cared enough to ask.
“We’ll scrub her memory and release her. Edrick will stay locked up until I hear back from Strigoia Prime. Now we can focus on the rescue. Inatta was elated by the news.”
“Have you chosen the team members? We’ll need at least eight and each must be able to teleport not only themselves but others.”
“Jerome helped me with the selection. Everything is ready to go.”
Bronik nodded as he felt dawn’s inevitable pull. “I’ll see you at sunset.”
* * * * *
Dusk cast
its hazy light across the front yard of Edrick’s estate as Bronik stood assessing the hunters Alexi and Jerome had selected. Eloise stood quietly at his side, watchful yet unobtrusive. The hunters seemed competent and experienced, but would they be obedient with their leader in chains?
“What’s going on with Edrick?” Brandon asked, inadvertently answering Bronik’s question. Bronik didn’t know the hunter well but he was one of Edrick’s favorites.
“I have reason to believe he was working with Tara,” Alexi told the hunter.
“With all due respect, sire, can you be a little more specific? I’ve known Edrick all my life. There’s no way he’d betray Strigo strain.”
Alexi tensed and Bronik thought he wouldn’t answer. The prince wasn’t used to being questioned by anyone. His chin came up but he finally responded, “Edrick’s phone records led me to the human female who brokered the deal between Edrick and Tara. According to her compelled testimony, Edrick agreed to lead me into an ambush. Fortunately for me, Tara was unable to follow through with her side of the bargain, so the ambush never took place.”
Jerome stepped forward. “I witnessed Edrick’s first meeting with the female and her interrogation last night. This isn’t a power grab by Prince Alexi. Edrick is a traitor.”
Brandon accepted the explanation with a tense nod. “I apologize from my boldness, and I’m glad his plan failed.”
“So am I.” Alexi smiled. “Now Bronik needs your attention.”
Brandon clasped his hands behind his back and faced Bronik. “Attention!” His deep voice snapped through the cool night and the others assumed a similar pose.
“We have two primary targets so we’ll need to split up. Alpha team will take the lab while Bravo secures the surveillance hub and corridor guards. We need to strike fast and prevent anyone from triggering an alarm.” Bronik quickly indicated which hunters were on which team. “Alexi will lead Alpha and I’ll take Bravo. There are several empty cells that can be used to secure the staff. Once they’re locked up we’ll evacuate the captives.”