Dark Seduction

by Cheyenne McCray

  Most of the information that Tori could gather was intuitive. If the woman was in a coma, there was only so much that Tori could get.

  But what she could gain was more than she let on to her employers. That was something she kept to herself. She had her reasons.

  More than likely she would have access to the woman’s most recent memories and feelings, any abilities she had developed and that she used on a daily basis, but that was it.

  As a Changeling, a rare ability, Tori could shift into almost any human form, but if she didn’t touch that person, she had no knowledge of them beyond what they looked like. She had to touch him or her in order to take what she needed or as much as she could.

  Some people she got much more out of than others. She never really knew until she came in contact with the person. There were a few she hadn’t been able to get anything from and a couple whose form she hadn’t been able to take at all. There wasn’t an explanation for this as far as she knew. She wondered if she could take Logan’s form.

  As if reading her mind, Janice said, “If possible, take Logan Savage’s form once you’re in as Carla.”

  “Maybe that would be best.” Tori nodded. “What would you do with the real Logan?”

  “That could be a problem, so let’s start with Carla.” Janice looked at Tori and gestured to the bubble and Carla’s image. “Now.”

  So much for freelance. This was one job she didn’t feel she had a choice but to take. If the man who’d rocked her world this weekend had a black soul, then she’d be glad to bring him down.

  Then why did the thought of working against Logan make her feel sick inside?

  Tori hesitated only a moment before she extended her arm. She touched the image and it made a sizzling sound.

  She lowered her arm and began to tremble, and she gritted her teeth as her body started to change. Pain shot through her limbs as her arms and legs lengthened. Her breasts became larger, her feet a little bigger. Her scalp tingled as her hair lengthened and the bones in her face moved.

  Her clothing changed along with her body, shimmering and then forming so that she was wearing clothes similar to what Carla had on in the photograph.

  When her body finished changing, she was an exact duplicate of Carla Winston.

  Chapter 4

  Muted light came in through the curtains of the townhouse Tori was in, Carla’s place, and Tori climbed out of bed and went to the window. She placed one of her hands on the cool pane as raindrops rolled down the surface. She pressed her nose against the glass and watched the dreary rain pour down.

  Outside the greenery was muted, the pane fogging from her breath. She rubbed her eyes with her thumb and forefinger then turned and headed for the bathroom. She paused and braced her hands on the countertop and stared at herself in the glass. She had shifted back to herself before bed and it felt good to be in her own body again. A couple of weeks of being Carla, and Tori needed a break every now and then.

  All five-foot-two with short dark curls and hazel-green eyes, and a heart-shaped face. When she was alone she didn’t have to pretend she was someone else.

  She tried to gather from Carla’s memories if Logan had a key to her townhouse. At one time he had, but after they broke up, had Logan returned the key?

  Maybe she needed to stay in Carla’s form even as she slept.

  Tori grimaced. She should just change the locks, then she wouldn’t have to worry about it and she could make sure she had privacy at all times.

  How long would she have to be Carla? How long before she could make sure that Logan never had a chance to sell the technology to some other country?

  Her personal cell phone rang, dragging her attention to the sound. It was muffled. Where had she put it? Then she remembered it was in a pocket in her duffle bag and she hurried into the closet and dug it out and managed to answer it before the call went to voice mail.

  On the caller ID screen was Jake Adams, her big brother.

  She smiled pressed the On button. “Hey.”

  As she answered the phone, she pictured her six-foot-three brother with his dark hair and hazel-green eyes that matched hers. Ladies went crazy over all that muscle and All-American good looks. Add intelligence on top of that and it wasn’t a wonder why women couldn’t stop themselves from drooling over him.

  “How’s my favorite little sister?” His deep voice came over the line.

  She smiled. “I’m your only sister.”

  “Hmmm…” Jake made a considering sound. “I thought we picked up another one somewhere along the way.”

  With a laugh, she said, “What’s up?”

  “Dad’s calling a family dinner for next Friday night,” Jake said. “Mandatory.”

  She blew out a breath. “I’m on assignment.”

  “Better figure out a way to be there,” Jake said.

  “You know how it is.” Tori pushed her hand through her hair. “Hell, Dad should know better. I’m working undercover.”

  “Friday is the anniversary of Mom’s…” Jake’s voice trailed off.

  Tori closed her eyes. Their mother had died two years ago, a week from today. “I’ll be there,” she said quietly. “No matter what.”

  “Good,” Jake said. “Knew you wouldn’t let Dad down.”

  No, she couldn’t let her dad down and let him be alone on the saddest anniversary in all of their lives.

  “How is your assignment going?” Jake changed the subject and she was grateful for it.

  “It’s not an easy one.” Tori thought about Logan.

  “If we were in person, you could cry on my shoulder,” he said. “But over the phone doesn’t work.”

  “No kidding,” she said. “What’s up with you?”

  “Working on a big case.”

  “And driving the ladies wild.” She grinned. “Still love ’em and leave ’em?”

  “Who, me?” It wasn’t hard to picture his innocent expression.

  “Yeah, you.”

  “No one special, if that’s what you mean,” Jake said.

  “Just checking,” she said. “One day the right girl will come along.”

  “Dunno about that.”

  “Oh, she will.” Tori nodded to herself. “And she’ll knock you on your ass.”

  He snorted. “Ha.”

  With a laugh, Tori said, “Where on Friday?”

  Jake named their dad’s favorite restaurant and Tori said, “Should have known better than to ask. At least they have alcohol. I could use a beer or six.”

  He laughed. “I’ll still drink you under the table, sis.”

  “Try it.”

  “You’re on.”

  Jake told her good-bye and Tori said, “See you,” and then they disconnected the call.

  After she hung up with her brother, Tori sat in one of the window seats in Carla’s townhouse, her back against one side, her feet against the other, and her knees almost up to her chest. The rain continued to roll down the pane and it drummed on the rooftop in a steady rhythm.

  Her older twin brothers had always been there for her. The times she’d let her abilities slip and the other kids had called her a freak; working with her to control them; making sure she got to her special class with Mr. Carver every day by walking with her and ensuring no one hurt her along the way.

  Kids could be so cruel, that’s all there was to it. When she was young and she had slipped, it wasn’t as simple as becoming someone else.

  Instead, once just her arms had shifted and grew so long that they dragged the floor. Another time her nose expanded until she looked like a clown. Then there was the time her hair went from short, dark, and curly to long, bright red, and frizzy. Nor could she forget when her feet became as big as boats. Her elementary school years were not her favorite memories by a long shot.

  While she was still young, and had learned how to hold on to a form, sometimes she’d play pranks on her brothers and her mom by shifting into one of her brothers. At that time she couldn’t hold the forms
for long, but it was usually long enough. It was always strange being in their bodies, but fun playing the jokes on them. Of course she’d get into trouble, but it was usually worth it.

  She climbed out of the window seat and began doing her morning exercises, her thoughts turning and turning as she stretched.

  Junior high was a little better thanks to Mr. Carver teaching her for years how to control and use her ability. She was like any other girl when in public then could practice shifting when she was alone.

  Her dad, being a tough cop and a strict father, was less than amused with her antics at times so she avoided doing anything mischievous most of the time when he was around.

  Of course her brothers had their own abilities to deal with. She wouldn’t have traded them if she could have, although their genuine telepathic link could come in handy.

  But they each had different abilities that thankfully no one had ever found out about. Oh, there’d been close calls and a little psychic persuasion involved to erase memories, but they’d managed to keep it under control.

  Mark’s telekinesis talent could be fun—usually—but Jake’s pyrokinetic ability had not been so good before he learned to control it and his temper. Too many stories could be told about things bursting into flames.

  Tori’s arms burned as she did as many guy pushups as her body could take, until muscle failure.

  In high school, kids all but forgot her elementary school years and the freakish things that happened to her. She played sports, including running track, was on the debate club, and took tae kwon do lessons.

  When she was eighteen, right after graduating from high school, Mr. Carver taught her more than she ever knew existed about the paranormal world. She went from thinking that she and her brothers were freaks in a way, to finding out there were countless people with many different talents.

  She spent her college years researching everything she could find out about paranorms. In addition to tae kwon do, she learned street fighting and hand-to-hand combat. She continued to run track in college.

  Tori moved on to sit-ups, doing one after another after another after another, well into the hundreds, until her stomach was completely fatigued.

  When she’d graduated from college, Mr. Carver referred her to a friend of his and she was trained in ways she’d never dreamed so that she could serve her country. She freelanced for various organizations over the years when they needed someone with her talents.

  It wasn’t until she was approached by the PIA that she learned there was an entire branch of the government that dealt with the paranorm in one way or another.

  She lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling for a moment.

  Working for the PIA didn’t necessarily give her the warm fuzzies. Sometimes she questioned what had been done while she’d been on assignment. Brian usually handled what she thought of as the dirtier aspects of their missions.

  But ultimately, what she was doing was for the United States. So in the name of her country, she did what she had to do.

  And if that meant taking down Logan Savage, so be it.

  Chapter 5

  Logan frowned and perched on the corner of his desk, puzzled by the fact that it had been two weeks and Tori hadn’t answered or returned his calls. She hadn’t seemed like the type of woman to have sex with a man then blow him off.

  What really bothered him were the premonitions and the fact that she had disappeared like she had.

  Not to mention he’d fallen for her. And fallen for her hard.

  He looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the beautiful Seattle view. Maybe he was wrong and they hadn’t made the kind of connection he’d thought they had. But he was a pretty damned good judge of character so he doubted that.

  Then why the cold-shoulder?

  He’d thought about stopping by her house, but decided that was looking a little too desperate on his part.

  His thoughts turned to the odd looks she had given him a couple of times while they’d had sex. Had his control slipped and had she seen what he hadn’t wanted her to? Damn but he hoped not. Maybe that had scared her away.

  “Logan?” Carla’s voice brought him out of his thoughts and he looked from the windows to see her standing in the doorway to his office.

  He couldn’t help himself as his gaze traveled over her tall, elegant form. Even with a lab coat over her red dress, as well as the pair of glasses she wore when she was in the lab, the woman was stunning. Long, lean legs, a perfect body, and golden hair that fell down to the middle of her back. Usually she had her hair up and in a knot at her nape when she worked, but today she’d let it fall loose around her shoulders in the way that he loved. The strands shone beneath the lights like gold threads.

  Tori, on the other hand, was petite and beautiful in her own way. Short, dark curls framed a pretty face and she had smooth, soft skin. Her hazel-green eyes were warm and inviting, yet she had a hard edge to her gaze. An edge that anyone in law enforcement had.

  It wasn’t that long ago that Carla had dumped him for some lawyer she’d met at her cousin’s engagement party. For a while, every time Logan saw her, something twisted in his gut. The night he’d met Tori was the first time since Carla had broken up with him that he’d made an attempt to meet another woman, much less end up taking the woman against a wall and any number of other places.

  She walked closer to him and shock hit him hard. He’d seen this exact scene… Only it had been Tori, not Carla in the lab coat.

  Déjà vu?

  No, it hadn’t been, damn it. It had been a premonition.

  Then why was Carla standing here and not Tori?

  Carla’s brow wrinkled. “What’s wrong, Logan?”

  “Nothing.” He eased off his desk and approached her. “What’s up?”

  His nostrils flared as he caught her jasmine scent. She smelled as wonderful now as she ever had. It made him think of sex…hot, sweaty, hardcore sex.

  He had to change his train of thought. First he was fantasizing over one woman and now he was running down an erotic memory lane with another.

  “Just thought I’d stop by to see how you’re doing.” She moved closer to him and he saw the ring of blue around her irises in her gray eyes. He thought about Tori and the flecks of gold in her hazel eyes.

  He studied Carla. He hadn’t stopped wanting her until he’d met Tori. But recently something had been different about Carla. Something earthy and warm where she had always seemed more sophisticated and cool. And he liked warm in a woman. Like Tori.

  “Just working hard like always.” He had his arms across his chest as he sat on the desk and saw that her pupils were slightly dilated. She wanted him.

  But did he want her now that he’d met Tori?

  God help him, he did. Was it only sexual? Or for something deeper than what they’d had before?

  At the same time he wanted Tori.

  Hell, he’d never been a man to play two women at one time. But if Tori wasn’t responding to him…

  “You might own the company, but you work too hard.” Carla reached him and she touched his arm, her fingers warming him through his long-sleeved shirt. At this moment she seemed to actually care, something she rarely showed before. These couple of weeks it had been like she had changed in some soul-deep way, an overnight turnaround. “You should relax more often.”

  “I’m fine.”

  She slowly shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

  He dragged his hand down his face. “The Cerebral Voices project is my main concern right now.”

  “You need rest to be on top of your game, Logan.” She trailed her fingers along his forearm. “You know that I can help you relax.”

  “Hey.” He offered her a smile. “I said I’m fine.” He moved from the corner of his desk, away from her touch. “I’d better get to work.”

  She nodded as her fingers slipped from his arm. “How is the project going?”

  “Nothing has changed.” Logan frowned. “Of course the governmen
t still wants the technology, but I’m not ready to finalize anything just yet.”

  “I have faith in you.” She moved forward to him again, reached up and brushed her lips over his cheek. “I’m here if you need me.”

  “Thanks.” As he looked into her eyes he stroked her hair over her shoulder like he had so many times before. But then he took a step back.

  Damn it. He didn’t need the drama of a relationship with Carla. He had too much to think about, too much to take care of.

  “How about dinner tonight?” She tilted her head to the side. “TGIF and all that.”

  “What happened to the man you were dating?” Logan asked. “Bruce something.”

  “I ended it.” She gave a delicate shrug then smiled at him. “So, dinner?”

  It was Friday night and he had never been able to reach Tori. Why the hell not? “Sure. I’ll pick you up. Seven?”

  “Sounds great.” She smiled. “I’d better get back to the lab.”

  She walked out the door and he watched the sensual way that she moved. Sensuality was inherent in everything about her.

  “Damn,” he said out loud when she was gone. The last thing he needed was another relationship with her.

  Donna, his assistant, appeared in the doorway. “Two CIA agents are here.”

  Great. As if he had time to deal with them. Logan moved around his desk and sat. “Send them in.”

  “Yes, sir.” She vanished. Moments later she appeared again, this time escorting a short, nearly baldheaded man and a tall blonde woman, presumably the agents.

  Logan stood and shook hands with each of the agents.

  “Special Agent Brent Mallory.” The female agent nodded to the male. “And I’m Special Agent Susan Taylor.”

  Logan gestured to the seats in front of his desk before sinking into his leather office chair. He waited until they were seated. “What can I do for you?”

  Taylor perched on the edge of her chair. “We have new intel indicating that a faction from the Middle East is targeting the Cerebral Voices project.”

  “We cannot have this technology fall into the wrong hands. The government wants the project.” Mallory said.