by Ivy Barrett
Hope blossomed within her heart, nearly forgotten and painful. Every time she allowed herself to hope she was slapped down, forced to accept a reality more dismal than it had been before.
Are the effects of the nanites instantaneous?
“No, it will take hours, perhaps as long as a few days, for your body to function at its full potential.”
Then I suggest we get started. The sooner you’re satisfied, the sooner our partnership can begin.
Chapter Twelve
Kellan pushed to his feet and pressed his palms on the desktop. He leaned across the desk and glared into Fane’s eyes. “I don’t answer to you, mutant.”
To his credit, Fane remained calm, returning Kellan’s stare without rancor or infuriation. “It was a simple question.”
“It was an accusation.” Brianna remained seated, but warning snapped in her tone. “Ceddrik offered his services to the overlord in exchange for protection and a place to live. Such arrangements are common in the black zones.”
“We don’t owe him an explanation,” Kellan insisted. He pushed off the desk and stood facing Fane, arms crossed over his chest. Still, Brianna’s immediate defense of him cooled the burst of anger and began to soothe his agitation.
“Following his accusation was a legitimate question,” she added softly.
He glanced at her and she smiled, warmth rippling across their link. So her defense didn’t come without a price. Little minx. She expected him to cooperate. With a frustrated sigh, he turned back to Fane. “Ceddrik’s physical limitations made a link necessary for communication. My attempts to sever the link have been unsuccessful.”
“Have you tried?” Fane asked Sean.
“I’ve been shielding all three of us, so I doubt he’s accessed the link. But, no, I haven’t attempted to disconnect it.”
“We aren’t used to having people poke around inside our minds. It makes us uncomfortable.” Kellan returned to his seat and pulled Brianna’s hand into his lap, intertwining their fingers.
“If I can use your link to locate Ceddrik, it won’t be necessary for me to enter Brianna’s mind.”
Fane’s casual suggestion bordered on coercion and Kellan’s temper rekindled. A bitter refusal formed on his tongue, but Brianna squeezed his hand, drawing his gaze to her. Ceddrik’s attack had left its mark on her psyche. Even with Sean she had been reluctant to submit to mental probing. It was a far better option for Fane to scan his mind than to subject Brianna to another mental invasion.
“Fine,” Kellan muttered, “but I’ll hold you to your word. You won’t go near Brianna.”
Fane nodded, accepting the condition. “A physical touch isn’t necessary for me to establish a connection with your consciousness, however, it sometimes makes it easier for the person I’m scanning to accept me into their mind.”
Reluctantly releasing Brianna’s hand, Kellan grabbed the arms of the chair and closed his eyes. “Go ahead. I’ll allow you to enter.”
“Begin with an image of Ceddrik as he looked when you first met him,” Fane advised. “Let your mind add details, anything uniquely his. Then focus on the day he formed the link, remember how it made you feel. Was there pain or pleasure as his being moved through you?”
As he spoke, Fane’s voice floated toward Kellan, filling his ears then sinking into his mind. His mental touch was light and agile, remarkably controlled. Sean’s skill made Ceddrik seem clumsy, yet Fane easily overshadowed Sean. No wonder the mutants followed him. He was—
“Focus on Ceddrik,” Fane cut into his rambling thoughts. “Try not to be distracted.”
Kellan relaxed, resisting the instinctive need to struggle. Fane pushed deeper, his presence flared yet focused, closing in on his target with brutal accuracy.
“The link is intricate and shielded. It’s going to hurt like hell if I start burrowing.”
“I’m not afraid of pain,” Kellan assured. “We need to know where the bastard is.”
Moments passed in strained silence. Kellan felt no change, no pain. Then white-hot agony drilled into his mind, jolting his body nearly out of the chair. He clutched the arms and gritted his teeth, determined not to scream. Beads of perspiration irritated his upper lip and ran along his jaw. His brain throbbed, a blazing pebble surrounded by pulsing pressure.
Brianna knelt on one side and Sean on the other. A strangled moan escaped Kellan’s throat and Brianna pressed her hand over his. Sean did the same on the other side. Sean drained sensation from his mind, drawing it into his own body. Gradually the pain dulled and Kellan shuddered. Brianna surrounded him with warmth and affection, allowing him to endure what remained.
Fane expanded the link and images flooded into Kellan’s mind. Ceddrik knelt at the foot of a bed, his face buried between the pale thighs of a naked female. The woman undulated and wiggled, grinding her pussy against Ceddrik’s mouth.
With effortless control, Fane shifted the image, pulling back to view the entire room. A second man sat in a shabby armchair angled toward the bed, anxiously rubbing the bulge in the front of his pants.
Ignoring the sexual antics of the occupants, Fane searched for clues. The skyline beyond the sliding door only revealed an urban setting. The buildings were unremarkable and barely discernable in the darkness. There was no hospitality table or snack dispenser to indicate that this was a hotel room rather than an apartment.
When the room itself revealed nothing useful, Fane focused again on the couple on the bed. Well, the woman was on the bed; Ceddrik was more or less on the floor.
Be still. Let your mind go blank. I will shield you as much as possible, but try not to react to anything you see, hear, or feel.
Kellan cleared his mind, silencing his inner voice. He understood what Fane wanted, what he needed, but submission in any form was alien to him. Drawing calm from Brianna’s gentle presence and trust from Sean, Kellan surrendered control to Fane.
Lust blazed across the link. Ceddrik indulged his passion completely as he lifted the woman’s hips and thrust his tongue into her cunt. She cried out sharply, twisting and bucking as her orgasm neared.
Fane’s energy surged. Had he launched a compulsion or… Kellan didn’t know enough about Fane’s abilities to guess.
Where am I? The thought echoed through the link and Kellan felt an odd urge to answer the question. But he was relatively sure it hadn’t been meant for him.
The exterior of a hotel flashed into Kellan’s mind, followed by a kaleidoscope of fragmented thoughts and scrambled images. Kellan instinctively tried to unravel the jumbled mess then he remembered Fane’s warning and accepted the input without attempting to analyze what he was experiencing.
Suddenly Ceddrik shoved the woman away and closed his eyes. Kellan? The woman shrieked and kicked Ceddrik in the chest. Ceddrik warded her off with one arm as he focused inward.
Fury boiled within the link, centuries of resentment and pain. Fane started forward, ready to annihilate his enemy. Then he stilled. Consequences and repercussions tempered the flash-fire impulse as Fane clearly fought for control. He meticulously suppressed the killing rage and smoothly slipped out of Ceddrik’s mind.
Kellan watched the scene fade, dazed and lightheaded. A sudden pinch snapped him out of the trance and he collapsed back in his chair.
“I severed the link,” Fane told him, his voice breathless.
“Why didn’t you kill him?” Kellan stared into Fane’s eyes, determined to understand what just happened. “You considered it. I felt your hatred, your rage. But at the last moment you turned away.”
“Fane is the only one strong enough to have survived the blast,” Sean explained. “If he had detonated a psychic explosion inside Ceddrik’s mind, it would have killed everyone linked to him. That doesn’t just mean you. Because of our link with you, it would have killed Brianna and me.”
Kellan nodded in mute shock. With one thought Fane could have killed them all? Holy fuck!
“Do you re
cognize the hotel?” Sean asked the mutant leader.
“What about the other two people?” Brianna remained at Kellan’s side, lightly stroking his forearm. “Do you have any idea who they are?”
“I’m familiar with the hotel and the female has been causing us trouble for years,” Fane replied. “I know nothing about the second male.”
“The woman is Nehalem Bryson,” Sean said. “She’s one of General Bryson’s lesser wives.”
“Lesser wives?” Brianna echoed. “Do many Protarians have more than one?”
Fane chuckled, his voice already returned to normal. “It’s acceptable for you to have two mates, but you’re shocked by an extremely rich, powerful man having more than one wife?”
“We are not yet mated,” Sean reminded.
“You should seriously consider strengthening your bond before we go into battle. If you could access Brianna’s strength it would be an important advantage.”
“Are we going into battle?” Kellan challenged. “Two men and one woman doesn’t sound like much of a challenge to me. Ceddrik has to touch his victims before he can utilize his power. Do either of the others have abilities that will make this more interesting?”
“Nehalem has the Chrysalis nanites,” Fane reminded. “We suspected it before, but now I’m sure. I don’t think they’ve injected Ceddrik yet, but it’s only a matter of time.”
“Then shouldn’t we strike before they inject him?” Brianna asked.
Fane shook his head then rubbed the back of his neck. “The nanites take twenty-four to seventy-two hours before they’re operational. Even if they inject him in the next few minutes, we have some time to play with. I’ll send people over to stake out the hotel and we’ll make a detailed plan first thing in the morning. We may only get one shot at this. I want to make sure we do it right.”
“What if they run? Ceddrik sensed you toward the end,” Sean reminded.
“Ceddrik thought he sensed Kellan. His reaction would have been far more violent if he’d had any idea it was me.”
“You’re awfully sure of the reaction of someone you haven’t been near in decades, or is it centuries?” Kellan arched his brow. The less control he had over a situation, the less comfortable he was with it. That was simply his nature.
“Go hang out in the parking lot of the hotel if it will make you feel more secure.” Fane pushed back from his desk and stood. “I intend to get a good night’s sleep and face this challenge with a clear head and full energy stores. Think about what I said. If you three are likely to take the next step anyway, consider taking it tonight. Continual energy transfer will make you faster and stronger and give you more stamina.”
Sean laughed. “Are you talking about tomorrow or tonight?”
“Try it and find out.” Fane escorted them back to the main corridor before he said, “I’ll see you in the morning.”
* * *
Nehalem knelt on the floor trembling, on the verge of orgasm. Her legs were bent, ass in the air, legs spread wide, arms bound at the small of her back. Her cheek rested against the carpet, burning from rubbing against the coarse fibers. A ball gag muffled her protests if not completely silencing her cries and moans and whimpers.
A thick butt plug filled her ass and Renn drove a massive glass dildo into her cunt. “That’s cold and smooth, not like a real cock at all.” He bent to her ear, maintaining deep penetration with the dildo. “But you’re corrupt and vile, a used-up whore. You’ve fucked every scumbag in Old Towne. No real man will ever want you again.”
Each insult built her arousal as well as her confusion. Why couldn’t she be like other women? Why couldn’t she enjoy soft, tender lovemaking with a man who was willing to take his time?
Ced had started out as he’d promised. He’d licked her pussy until she came the first time, but right before her climax crested again something bizarre happened. He’d jerked away from her pussy and said “Kellan.” Who the fuck was Kellan? Whoever he was, he’d ruined everything! Ced had been so distracted he’d lost interest in fucking and told Renn to finish for him.
Renn had been happy to oblige. He’d approached the bed with cruel hunger in his eyes and she’d known she was in trouble. Ced lingered long enough to demand she tell him how to administer the nanites, and when she refused, he jerked her mental tether and the words came tumbling out. Ced grabbed the case containing the Chrysalis project and fled into the adjoining bedroom, leaving her alone with Renn.
She’d rejected Renn’s cock, so he’d promised never to fuck her again. That’s when the punishment started and she’d lost any semblance of control. She obeyed without hesitation. He used her pleasure to humiliate her and she was too busy coming to hate him.
He suddenly pulled out the dildo, leaving her desperate and aching. She screamed behind the gag, furious. He slapped her ass hard, one side and then the other. “My cock isn’t good enough for you. How about my hand?” He spanked her again and again, each sharp contact driving the pleasure higher. She clenched her inner muscles, willing him to put the dildo back inside. Or better yet, pull out the plug and shove in his cock. Nothing made her feel dirtier than a good ass fucking.
Her worthless husband had twisted her psyche, made her need this degradation. The worse Renn treated her, the more she liked it.
As if hearing her thoughts, Renn jerked on her arms, pulling her torso up. He glared into her eyes as he pinched her nipple. She cried out, eyes watering as the pain burned through her other sensations. “Scream for me, bitch.” He twisted as he pinched and she helplessly obeyed. “Oh, look how red that made your nipple. Now the other one looks lonely.” He pinched and twisted the other side until both were throbbing and bright red.
He watched her face, clearly enjoying her misery. “Have you ever had your pussy spanked? I’ve heard it’s incredibly painful.”
Her eyes widened and she shook her head, terrified and yet intrigued. His smile was cruel and he waited, building the tension as she tried to figure out if he’d actually swat her mound or not. He drew his hand back dramatically, wigging his eyebrows. Then his hand smacked against her mound so lightly it was more like a tease.
She whimpered, horrified by her own need for pain. He spanked her pussy harder, sending a sharp, barely painful ripple up through her core. If that was all there was to it, she had nothing to worry about. But his arm swung faster and his fingers angled downward, slapping her folds as the flat of his hand connected with her clit.
Pain stabbed her cunt and she screamed behind the gag. He spanked her again, forcing another scream from her raw throat.
“Oh, that really hurts. Doesn’t it?” He spanked her again and she twisted, trying to free herself from his hold so her body would fold, protecting her sensitive mound. Without warning he bent and thrust his punishing fingers up into her cunt, fucking her with cruel force. “Come, you fucking whore!” He pulled out and slapped her pussy, then crammed three fingers into her core, working her fast and hard. “Squeeze me, bitch! Say thank you with your cunt.”
Like the obedient slut she was, her body climaxed, clenching his fingers in tight spasms. The pleasure was worse than the pain. How could she possibly enjoy this? Before the last ripple passed, he pulled his fingers out and lowered her head back to the floor. He moved behind her and shoved the dildo back into her well-used passage. Finally, he took his cock out and jacked off, spilling his seed on her back and buttocks.
Breathless and tingling, she pictured herself from his perspective, bound and conquered, toys protruding from her openings, inner thighs shiny, cum gleaming on her ass. Did the sight move him to anything but lust? Unlikely.
The door connecting the two bedrooms opened and Ced strolled in, making her humiliation complete. Renn placed a chair next to her and hauled her up from the floor. He draped her face down across the padded seat and moved away.
It looks like Renn took good care of you while I was gone. Ced walked up beside her and trailed his fingertip through the c
um on her ass. You did tell him not to fuck you, so he had no choice but to use toys.
You’re both depraved assholes! Untie me!
I can’t. You need to practice.
Practice what? Being fucked over by a sadistic pig? I think I’ve got that down.
Ced sat on the foot of the bed, which put him directly behind her, within easy reach of the toys Renn hadn’t bothered removing. Ced slowly drew the dildo almost out then shoved it back in. Nehalem screamed in frustration, but the ball gag effectively muffled the sound.
She couldn’t take much more of this or she’d snap!
Your body has gorged on pleasure, but you need energy. Open the conduit and take some from Renn.
She wasn’t even sure where Renn was. He’d been suspiciously quiet since Ced’s return. Maybe it didn’t matter. The dildo slid in and out, in and out, ever so slowly. Were they both sitting back there? She tried to crane her neck and look, but her torso was too far forward on the chair.
Stop wiggling and open the conduit.
How was she supposed to concentrate with the dildo smoothly fucking her? Not fast enough to get her off, just keeping her aroused. Channeling her frustration into determination, she looked inward and carefully opened the conduit.
Her senses intensified as if her skin were vibrating. The fabric of the chair irritated her tender nipples and smells filled her nose, sex and sweat and stale food. Her pussy clamped down on the dildo, increasing the friction and fullness. And then she felt Renn, recognized his essence, his energy. He was wielding the dildo, not Ced! She should have known. The bastard had been playing with her since she was a teen. Why should he stop now?
Concentrate! Ced pinged her brain and pain shot down her spine, branching out like thorny vines gouging her flesh. To her mortification, she came in short, sharp bursts.
Renn laughed uproariously and fucked her harder. “We’ve got a bona fide pain slut on our hands.”
Enough. The dildo pushed deep and stopped, leaving her suspended in a post-orgasmic haze. Try it now.