Once Bitten, Twice Dead

by Bianca D’Arc

  “Do you like this?” she experimented, massaging his sac gently as she took him in her mouth. His groan of pleasure was her reward.

  “Too much, chère.” He lifted her by the shoulders, bringing her mouth to meet his.

  His kiss turned her upside down and inside out. Or maybe it felt that way because he was lifting and turning her as he drugged her senses with his long, slow, deep kisses. When she opened her eyes and he ended the kiss, she was on her back with him over her.

  “Turnabout is fair play, or so they say, n’est-ce pas?”

  “Mmm. You can turn me about any time, Captain.” She reached up to tangle one hand in the short hairs at the nape of his neck. Her other hand went south, searching for the object of her desire. He was thick and long. Hard and ready. She didn’t want to wait.

  “I’ll take you up on that, Officer.” Xavier licked his way down her body, starting at the hollow behind her ear, down over her throat, and then pausing for a good long while at her breasts. She loved the way he touched her, teasing her with gentle pinches while his mouth did wild things to excite her response.

  He nipped her gently, causing a moan to rise from her throat. Then he followed up with tender, nibbling kisses over the sensitized skin, soothing and enflaming at the same time. He was a master at bringing her to the point of oblivion, then backing away to let her slide slowly down the slope. He did it to her three times before she growled in frustration. He only laughed.

  “Anticipation makes the final moment better, mon amour. Don’t be greedy. I’ll give you all you can take and then some.” He punctuated each sentence with a gently biting kiss over her midsection, nibbling on the sides of her breasts and her quivering tummy. “We do this on my terms, love. My terms.” A harder bite to her nipple made her moan in ecstasy as he pinched the other peak between his talented fingers. “Who’s in charge here, Sarah?” He drew on her breast with a long, sucking motion. The engorged nipple popped out of his mouth with a nearly audible sound.

  “You are,” she whispered.

  “What did you say? I didn’t hear you.” The fingers of one hand roved downward to toy in the folds of her sex. He rubbed her clit, driving her need higher.

  “You are.” She managed to say it louder this time, though she was gasping with near desperation.

  “Louder.” His voice purred over her senses, a sensual rumble in the haze of her growing desire.

  “You are, Xavier!” she cried out as she bucked against him, her climax washing over her in a tidal wave of pleasure.

  He held her down, his big body pinning her to the bed as she rode the wave to its conclusion and began to drift. But he wouldn’t let her go far. He reeled her back in, moving those talented fingers lower, to slide within her sheath.

  She gasped at the new sensation. Xavier moved, seating himself between her splayed thighs. He had an unobstructed view of her most intimate places, but she didn’t care. He was the master of her pleasure, the man who knew her like no other—body, heart and soul.

  “Now for the turnabout,” he muttered, sliding downward until his mouth was level with her pussy. He licked out, touching her clit briefly as his fingers began to move within her. “You like that, kitten?”

  “Oh, yeah,” she moaned as he did it again. A quick little lick that set her senses reeling.

  “I can see you do. Probably as much as I liked you licking me.”

  Realization dawned. That’s what he meant by “turnabout” this time. Given her scattered wits, she’d been a little slow to realize what he was getting at. The man had a powerful effect on her. It was hard to think straight when he made love to her. And she loved the way he gave as good as he got each and every time.

  “I see you figured out my game.” Satisfaction lit his handsome face. “What do you think of my tactics?”

  “Very clever, Captain.” She reached downward to stroke his cheek as he hovered over her midsection. “I never thought I could love anyone as much as I love you.” The words slipped out before she could censor the sappy thought. She wasn’t normally given to such outbursts, but Xavier had changed all the rules where her heart was concerned.

  To her relief, he grinned. “I couldn’t agree more, mon ange. Now let me show you just how much I love you.”

  He pinned her in place with his gaze as he took his place between her thighs. He pushed inward, making them one as her breath sighed out on a soft moan. He felt so good. She’d never tire of the sensations he brought her.

  He increased his pace as he held her gaze and she saw the love in his eyes. She knew it was reflected in her own. She’d never felt so connected to another person—physically, emotionally, even spiritually. She’d faced death with this man at her side. She’d found the courage to face the future with him as well. And he with her.

  “I love you, Xavier,” she whispered as he brought her higher. The passion seemed to flare between them as he moved more urgently within her.

  “You and me, babe,” he whispered as he lowered his chest over hers, surrounding her completely with his presence. He was close now to the climax that chased her as well.

  She wanted to come with him, completing the circle between them.

  “Say you’re mine, Sarah. I’ll never tire of hearing it.”

  His mouth rubbed over her cheek and neck in a hot slide that made her insides quiver as he brought her higher.

  “I’m yours,” she readily admitted. She felt the truth of those words in her heart and her soul. “And you’re mine.”

  He pulled back slightly to meet her gaze. A slow grin spread across his face as they both approached the peak at the same time.

  “I’m yours, chère,” he breathed as his muscles tightened in preparation for ecstasy. “Now and forever.”

  His words, spoken like a vow, triggered the maelstrom between them. She cried out, her jaw working in tight spasms as her abdomen clenched and her core tightened around him, gripping him as he pushed her to the stars.

  She felt his body seize under her palms as his muscles tightened and his cock pressed deep inside, holding there as he emptied his tribute into her greedy body. She wanted everything he had to offer. Everything he was. She’d take it all and give back everything she had inside her. Everything they could be together. For him. All for him.

  She’d never felt more complete or more fulfilled, both as a woman and as a person, than when she was with him. They shared a perfect moment of shared bliss that was over all too soon. He held her in the aftermath, cuddling her close and placing soft kisses on her face and hair.

  “I love you more than life, chère.” His rough whisper filled her heart to overflowing.

  “Me, too, Xavier. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”

  He chuckled. “Right after the worst thing that ever happened to you, right? If you hadn’t been attacked by zombies, we never would have met.”

  “I can’t bring myself to do it, but in a weird way, I have to thank those mad scientists for bringing us together.” She stroked his arm, loving the play of his hard muscles under her fingers.

  “Fate brought us together, mon amour. I believe in destiny. You and me? We were meant to be.”

  Epilogue

  In the bowels of the Pentagon, a very secret meeting took place. Matt Sykes was the guest of honor, so to speak. He was slated to give a report on the recent action on Long Island and the status of the other issues at hand. The directors of the CDC, the NIH and the CIA were on hand. The CIA man was attending for the first time, now that the foreign-espionage aspect of the case was becoming a reality. Also present were Matt’s current, select chain of command all the way up the ladder.

  He’d had a private meeting with the CIA director the day before, to bring the man up to speed on the zombie problem. Reacting at first with scoffing disbelief, the director had been convinced by the time Matt had left his office. The director looked grim now as he sat next to the military brass listening to Matt’s report.

  “The situation on Long
Island appears to be contained. There were approximately forty-seven civilian casualties. We also gained a highly skilled immune operative in Sarah Petit. She’s agreed to come onboard with our mission as a civilian contractor. One of the Green Berets was also exposed and lived to tell the tale. Lt. Sam Archer will make a full recovery and shows all the signs of being immune despite the way he was infected and treated. Dr. McCormick has agreed to come back to work for the navy, devoting her time to a two-fold project. First, we want her to work on the toxin we use in the darts. It isn’t as effective against the new version of the contagion. Second, she will continue her work on the serum. It worked on Lt. Archer but had no effect on Dr. Sellars. We believe, given time and resources, Dr. McCormick may be able to improve her results.”

  At this point, the medical guys had a few questions, which Matt answered to the best of his ability. They wanted to know where McCormick would be working. Matt sensed a bit of a turf war developing. He was able to counter it by saying the navy had reinstated McCormick’s contract and she would be working directly for them. The civilian medical guys didn’t seem too happy, but they’d have to deal with it. McCormick had a preexisting obligation to finish the work she’d signed on to do for the navy. Until this situation was resolved, she’d be kept under wraps by Uncle Sam.

  “We also have one other new development. A girl by the name of Donna Sullivan was exposed and proved naturally immune.” At this point, Matt distributed the girl’s short dossier. “She’s a senior at the university, scheduled to graduate at the end of the month with a degree in chemical engineering.”

  “How was she exposed?” asked the CDC man.

  “Her boyfriend was part of the football team that was infected by Sellars and sent after our operatives. They used the girl as a distraction in order to separate Officer Petit from Captain Beauvoir. The ruse worked and Officer Petit was abducted from the scene, and later recovered by Captain Beauvoir. The girl was still alive when Captain Beauvoir left her to go after Officer Petit. She survived and checked herself into the university clinic the next day, where we picked her up before she could start spreading tales about her boyfriend becoming a zombie.”

  “What do you propose to do with her?” The CDC director seemed disturbed by the story. “She doesn’t appear to have the skills necessary to combat these creatures. What is she, twenty-one or twenty-two?”

  “Just turned twenty-five, actually. She was in a master’s program,” Matt explained calmly. “She’s older than many of the young soldiers we sent to die fighting the creatures before we knew better.” The medical man looked duly chastised. “She’s agreed to keep silent about her boyfriend and what happened to him and his friends, but I would prefer to bring her into the program and give her a chance to work with us to solve this problem. She’s seen what the contagion does firsthand. She’s lost someone to it and nearly lost her own life in the process. I believe she could be an asset, though I’ll be honest and say I’m not sure where a shiny-new chemical engineer will fit in our operation.”

  “Her science background could be an asset,” the CIA director said. “We could offer her a post at Langley. Since being brought up to speed on this yesterday, I’ve been considering who to utilize. I have a man I plan to assign to follow the money trail and he could probably use someone with a scientific background. It would also keep her out of the line of fire while she learns how to operate in the real world. My man could take her on as an apprentice of sorts. It’s not our usual way, of course, but nothing about this situation is normal.”

  “After what happened with the original science team, I’d rather keep this information away from anyone else with the expertise to produce the contagion,” the CDC director said. “Donna Sullivan is a chemical engineer. While she is familiar with the concepts, I doubt she currently has the skill to recreate or improve upon the research. She’s a good choice to work with the CIA operative.” He backtracked. “Not that I don’t have confidence in your people, but too many people know about this already. We need to limit spread of this knowledge as much as possible. Since the girl already knows, it makes sense to utilize her.”

  “Agreed.” The CIA man gave the other director a steely look. “Which is why I’m assigning John Petit to this case. He’s been in from the field for a few weeks after completing a mission, and I wanted to send him home for some R&R between jobs, but he’s too smart not to realize something’s going on with his sister. Utilizing him for this makes sense.”

  Matt Sykes inwardly beamed. The CIA director had given him what he wanted without even realizing it. Matt had grown to like Sarah Petit and knew she and Xavier were an item. Bringing her brother in on this just made sense. Matt was glad to see the CIA director was proving to be sensible.

  “If I might make a suggestion?” the NIH director spoke up. “It occurs to me that since Sarah Petit is immune, chances are that her brother might have the right kind of chemistry as well. Someone should run tests on his blood and make comparisons with his sister. This kind of study could help us nail down what makes one person immune and another not.”

  Matt made a note of it. “I’ll have Dr. McCormick do the testing, if that’s agreeable.” Nods all around confirmed the plan.

  Matt was pleased, they’d brought in someone who they probably wouldn’t have been able to keep out of it anyway and paired him with Donna. That girl had been traumatized by the death of her boyfriend and his attack on her. She needed a desk job for now, but she also needed to know that she was doing something to avenge her boyfriend’s senseless death.

  He had interviewed the girl at length. She was young but she was a fighter. She had a desire for justice they could build upon, and good technical skills. He’d talked to her faculty advisor and discovered she was in the top ten percent of her class in a university that turned out some of the best engineers in the state. She could definitely be an asset if cultivated correctly. Matt didn’t know Sarah’s brother personally, but if Sarah was anything to go by, he’d be hell on wheels.

  Just what the doctor ordered.

  “Our objective, as I see it, is two-fold,” said one of the military brass gathered around the conference table. “First, we need to deal with the immediate threats as we find them. Long Island has been taken care of, but we still need to deal with Fort Bragg. Commander Sykes, the field operations are your bailiwick. That encompasses the science and investigative teams working on antidotes and cures. Second, we need to stop the potential sale of this technology. That’ll be in the hands of the CIA, if you’re agreeable, Director.”

  The CIA man nodded. His expression was grave. “John Petit will be our man for that. I’m going to give him full authority to utilize our systems and intelligence on this problem. I assume you’ll do the same?”

  Again there was general agreement all around the table, but the chairman of the Joint Chiefs held out.

  “I think we should meet the man,” he said cautiously. “Can you get him here to meet with us?”

  The CIA director grinned like a Cheshire cat. “He’s waiting outside. Shall I invite him in?” Various expressions of shock and amusement met the old man’s knowing grin.

  About ten minutes later there was a discrete knock on the conference room door.

  John Petit had a lot in common with his sister as far as coloring, but he was easily twice her size and had the hardened look of a field operative. His eyes were cold and calculating, his stance wary but comfortable. This was a man to be reckoned with. He walked in and took a quick look around the room. Not by even a flicker of an eyelash did he betray any sort of reaction at seeing such a large number of top people gathered in one place. He simply nodded to the director of his own agency.

  “Mr. Petit, we have a job for you.”

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  “Look at me.”

  She raised heavy lids and stared into dark eyes glinting with the knowledge that she’d gotten the message.
He dropped his hand and strutted away from her, confident that she’d stay put.

  She watched him, loathing him with each shaky breath she drew. When the bastard had moved in next door, fate had dealt her a dead man’s hand. He’d seen her, had wanted her, so he’d taken her, turning her into a monster. Six weeks ago he’d told her he had a special job for her, a job that could elevate her from Omega to something…well, something more than the bottom of the pack.

  She’d perked up, as he’d known she would. But when he’d told her the job was to murder someone, she’d refused. She was a middle school phys ed teacher, for crying out loud. Not an assassin.

  But then he’d taken Zoe, threatened to kill her if Olivia didn’t do as she was told. She’d seen him act with swift ruthlessness where disobedience and defiance were concerned. Just a few months ago he’d broken the neck of another pack member’s son as casually as if he were flicking lint off his sleeve. So she had no doubt that, even though he might love Zoe in his own twisted way, he would carry through on the threat. So this time when he’d told her to go, she’d gone. Thankfully she had enough tenure and foresight to ask for a leave of absence from work.

  Eddy turned to face her. “Go kill Sullivan. You have one week.”

  She opened her mouth then closed it. He’d not given her permission to speak yet.

  A slight smile tilted one edge of his mouth. “Very good, pet.” He gave an approving nod. “You may respond.”

  “A week?”

  He lifted his brows. “I’ve given you six weeks already, two of which you squandered by being stubborn. I hardly think you need more than another week.”

  She clamped her lips together and gave an abrupt nod. Arguing with him would accomplish nothing except to have him shorten the deadline even further.

  He sighed and shoved his hands into the pockets of his trousers. “I’m not such a bad guy, Livvie.” He shrugged. “I just know what I want, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get it—and that includes killing everyone who gets in my way. Some women find that kind of confidence appealing. Attractive, even.”