As Tannis soon would be.
He’d been shying away from thinking about how long Tannis had left, but he’d been lying when he’d said she looked better.
Already, if he looked closely, he could see the faint violet tinge to her skin—the first visible symptom of the poison. He’d never known it to react so quickly. Perhaps she’d been exposed to it back at the research center, or one of those experiments had predisposed her to the poison. He didn’t know. And did the whys really matter?
He thought she was going to ignore his outstretched hand, but she took the final step, reached out, and slid her palm into his. He pulled her close, lifted her in his arms, and headed out of the bridge and down the central corridor, kicking open the doors as he passed. Finally, he found one with a big bed and took her inside, lowering her gently to the mattress.
He intended to make slow love to her, to make it last, to draw out her pleasure, make her forget the past and the future.
She was exquisite. He couldn’t believe he had ever not thought her beautiful; she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, her body long, slender, sinuous. Her skin luminous, shot through with iridescent lights.
He stripped off her clothes, kissing each inch of her skin as it was exposed. Then he quickly pulled off his own clothes, dropping them to the floor, before stretching out beside her. He took her mouth in a long, slow kiss, his tongue sliding between her lips to stroke the warm velvet of hers. When he raised his head, her eyes were heavy languorous. He kissed her throat, nipped the soft spot where her neck met her shoulder. He licked long strokes over her breasts then concentrated on the dark red nipples until they were glistening wet, tight with need, and she was making mewling sounds deep in her throat.
“Please, Callum,” she murmured.
“Shh. Trust me.”
His tongue dipped into her navel, tasting her, then lower over the flat plain of her belly to the dark curls that protected her sex.
He blew a light breath over her, and her hips rose. Parting her thighs with one hand, he slid his tongue along the seam of her sex, the taste of her making his cock twitch with need and his balls tighten. He shifted to lie between her thighs, using his hands to part the folds, reveal her secrets. She was glistening wet, and he dipped his tongue inside, holding her still as she wriggled against him. Then he slanted his mouth against her and kissed her, using his lips, his tongue and teeth to give her pleasure, sucking and licking, nipping gently with his teeth. She was pushing against him now, and he finally took her swollen clit in his mouth and suckled.
A low keening cry left her throat as she came. He lapped at her soothingly, for a few seconds until the tremors that wracked her calmed, then he bit down, and she screamed.
He moved swiftly up her body, to stare down into her pleasure-flushed face.
“You want me?” he asked.
He lowered his hips so the hard length of his erection pressed into her, and her hips rose up to meet him.
“Yes.”
…
Tremors of pleasure rippled through her as his shaft nudged at the entrance to her body. She needed him inside her and she shifted her hips impatiently against him. One hand came up to cup his jaw, and she stroked the pad of his thumb over his sensual lower lip. His tongue flicked out licking her fingers and heat pooled in her belly.
Then his hands slid behind her neck and he pulled her to him.
His lips met hers with a savagery she’d never felt in him before, and she gave herself over to the feeling, allowed her own rage and fury to come through.
For a second, he hesitated, then he deepened the kiss, his tongue thrusting into her mouth with a fierce passion.
He reached between their bodies, opening her with skillful fingers, then stared down into her eyes as he pushed inside her, filling her with one fluid thrust of his hips.
There was no pain, just a feeling of stretching fullness. She needed more and she pushed her hips in a mute plea.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he muttered.
She jerked against him. “You won’t. I want this. I need this.
Just to forget.”
He nodded. Then he pulled out and shoved back inside her.
Hard. There was nothing gentle about his lovemaking. It was full of rage and sadness. Fury and passion. She lost herself in the ebb and flow of his huge body moving on her, in her. The glide of his withdrawal, the push of his hips when she whispered to have him back inside her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled her to him but it limited his movement and he growled deep in his throat.
Gripping her knees in his big hands, he bent them back against her body, so she was open to him and then he was pounding into her, forcing the memories from her mind. Each stroke drove her closer to release, but she didn’t want this to end so she fought the pleasure that built inside her.
His hands shifted to her bottom, pulling her up against him, and he ground into her, rotating his hips, pressing against her swollen clit so however much she fought the pleasure it was too much. She gave herself up to it, her mind blank, her body just a mass of sensations. Then he lowered his head, sucked one nipple into his mouth as he pressed deep inside her and she exploded in a starburst of pleasure.
He followed her over the edge, his head went back, and his hips pumped against her. She came again, her back lifting from the bed, and finally she collapsed back, sated.
Afterward, she lay with him still lodged deep inside, his arms tight around her. “I’m going to die, aren’t I?” she said.
“Yes.”
Chapter 20
El Cazador was a mess. Tannis had seen the battered hull as they’d docked the smaller ship, all scarred by laser blasts. Rico would have hated that.
What was left of the crew were gathered together on the bridge. It looked like there had been a firefight in here as well.
But if the ship was a mess then the crew was no better.
On the surface, Skylar looked in the best shape, but her figure was tense, every muscle tight. Jon had shifted back into human form. He was pacing the bridge as though unable to stay in one place, and his eyes glowed feral. Daisy sat in Janey’s old chair, her emerald eyes blood-shot from weeping.
Tannis put her hands on her hips and stared at them all. “I leave my goddamn ship for five minutes and this is what you do to it.”
A smile flickered across Skylar’s face but didn’t reach as far as her eyes. Tannis looked at her closely and realized she must be holding herself together by willpower alone.
“Rico’s dead,” Tannis said. She was pretty sure Skylar already knew, but she needed to get the words out in the open.
“I know.” Skylar’s voice was without expression. “The Church contacted us. They seem to believe that if we know he’s dead then that will be it.”
“It won’t,” Tannis promised. “So, what happened?”
“They were already waiting at the rendezvous point. Almost as if they knew we were coming.”
“They did,” Tannis said. “Venna told them.”
“Fucking bitch. I’ll kill her.”
“Too late. She’s dead. We left her on that planet we blew up.”
“Good. Anyway, we nearly managed to fight our way out, but there were just too many of them. In the end, they boarded us.
They managed to capture Daisy and Janey, and it was all over.”
“They made us try and comm you, but there was no answer, so I tried Callum.” She looked at Tannis. “We don’t blame you.”
“Jesus,” Tannis muttered. “You should.”
“You couldn’t know what would happen. Besides, you needed to go on, you had no choice once you were on the planet. You had to get the treatment or…” She studied Tannis, stared into her eyes.
“…or you’re dead. Holy Meridian, you did get the treatment?”
“Do I look like I got the goddamn treatment?” Tannis snapped. “We were going to—we were nearly at the site when you contacted Callum. We went on anyway—
so don’t start thinking I’m some goddamn hero. Then Janey… I couldn’t risk Jon as well, and there was no time.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Tell me what happened.”
“They told us they would execute one of us if you didn’t comply, and then another every thirty minutes after that. When you didn’t immediately respond they picked Janey, said she’d be first. I don’t think any of us believed they would really do it. I don’t know why. It seemed unreal.”
“Why Janey?” Janey would have been the last person she would have thought they would pick. Not that anyone else would have been better, but she couldn’t understand it. She would have thought Daisy—she was a GM, but maybe the Church didn’t think she was worthwhile. Or one of the men. If they’d planned to kill Rico, why not pick him. Janey had been so bright and beautiful.
“I don’t know. But they did it so suddenly. They made her go down on her knees in front of us all. She was so brave, but you could see the terror in her eyes.”
Tannis almost swayed at the tidal wave of guilt that washed over her. This was her fault. She had let this happen.
“It was quick—a shot to the back of the head. The high priest did it himself. He enjoyed it—you could see it in his eyes.”
“And the Trog?”
“He went crazy, absolutely wild. They couldn’t hold him. In the end he broke free, leapt for the priest, and the guards shot him as well.”
“Where was Rico?”
“He was unconscious. They’d given him something, maybe they thought he was too dangerous, or maybe he was dead even then.”
“No, they’d have to do more than that.” Rico had told her once—a stake through the heart, decapitation or burning and scattering the ashes. But she thought it probably wasn’t wise to go into those sorts of details with Skylar right now.
“And Jon was cuffed,” Skylar continued. “But they had a gun to Alex’s head, he wasn’t moving.”
“Is Alex okay?”
“She was when we left. At least she was alive. When they picked Jon as the next to die, she lost it. I was sure she would shift and they’d kill her, but she managed to stay human. When we didn’t hear from you…” Skylar closed her eyes. “Well, Jon was cool, but he was about the only one.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Stop saying that,” Skylar snapped. “They held us until you sent the comm showing the planet on fire, and then they let us go.
Except Rico and Alex. I didn’t want to leave, but the others were a mess. They’d knocked Jon out as well by then. I had to get them away, and I thought there would be time. I never thought they would kill him straight away.”
“They probably knew we’d come after him.”
Skylar blinked and huge tears welled up intensifying the deep purple of her eyes. “The others, they were falling apart, I had to hold them together. Now you’re back, and I need…” She shook her head. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”
She whirled around and ran from the room. Tannis made to follow, but Callum stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Let her go,” he said. “She’s hurting, and there’s nothing you can do.
Nothing anyone can do. Only time will help her now, and she has plenty of that.”
“And getting Alex back.”
Jon paused his pacing and came to stand in front of her. He appeared truly scary, his eyes half-wolf, and she had to make herself stand her ground. “We’ll get her back.”
“And kill that priest,” Daisy said.
Tannis turned to look at her. She’d never known Daisy want to hurt anyone, now she looked fierce. Tannis nodded. “And kill the priest.”
Exhaustion tugged at her and she swayed, coming up against Callum behind her. She peered back and saw his worried frown quickly wiped clean. She couldn’t get ill yet, it was too soon. She’d thought she might have years. That’s what they’d told her at the research station. Two years of slow death.
“How long do I have?” she asked Callum.
He shook his head.
“Tell me.”
“I don’t know—it’s different with each person.” He held her gaze, and she saw the sadness in his eyes. “But I’m guessing not long.”
“What’s going on?” Jon asked.
“I didn’t get the treatment and I’m poisoned and I’m dying.”
There was no point in circling around this.
It was ironic, now when she would have gladly allowed Rico to turn her into a sex-craved monster, he was gone. If only she’d done it earlier. But earlier it hadn’t seemed an option, and now it was too late.
Callum was looking at Jon speculatively. “You saved Alex when she was dying. Could you do the same for Tannis?”
She looked at him sharply. It hadn’t even occurred to her, and a little flame of hope burst to light inside her. She thought she’d accepted the fact of her death, now she realized that was an illusion—she didn’t want to die. She glanced at Callum and saw her excitement reflected in his eyes.
But Jon shook his head. “I’m sorry. It doesn’t work with GMs.
They always go insane, and they always die. At least this way you keep your sanity.”
Callum wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against him. Tannis shoved down the despair, she needed to be able to concentrate. They had to make a plan to free Alex. Time to think about dying later. Or not dying. There was one more chance—however remote. If only she could hang on long enough.
“Do we know where they are now?” she asked.
“We’re pretty sure they headed back to Trakis Four.”
“Shit, that’s not good news.” Trakis Four was the Church’s main headquarters. It would be almost impossible to get in there and out again with Alex.
“It’s not that bad,” Callum said. “Their forces must be pretty thinly spread right now. I’ve been in contact with the colonel they’re still under siege on Trakis Five. That must be taking up most of their ships and men.”
“Maybe. I still don’t see how we can get in and out.”
“We need some sort of distraction,” Jon said.
“Yes but what?”
She shrugged out of Callum’s hold and paced the bridge, trying to get her head around what they could do. On their own, it was a suicide mission, and no way were any more of her crew going down. Could she somehow go in herself –after all it hardly mattered if she died at the point. Though she didn’t want to die now, she wanted to spend what little time she had left with Callum and with her friends.
“Shit. There has to be a way.”
“Captain?” She swung around as Daisy spoke. “There’s a comm coming through,” she continued. “Do you want me to open the link?”
“Who’s it from?”
“Devlin.”
Crap. She was going to have to tell him his brother was dead.
How he would react, she could only imagine. But even as her mind baulked at facing him, the thought occurred to her that he could help. She was guessing he’d want revenge for his brother’s death as much as they did. The rebels could provide the perfect distraction. She just hoped they weren’t too far away.
“Put him on,” she told Daisy.
“Devlin,” she said.
“I know about Tris.”
His words took her by surprise. She hadn’t expected them and for a moment, she was silent.
“I’m sorry, Devlin. He died trying to protect Janey.” She frowned. “But how did you know?”
“The Church—the bastards. He’s been on their most wanted list since the bombing. They sent out a comm announcing they had caught and executed him. Showed a fucking goddamn picture of his body.”
Tannis glanced up as Skylar entered the bridge. Her face was pale, and she had a pair of Rico’s dark glasses perched on her nose, but she appeared composed.
“They must have identified him after we left,” Skylar said as she came to stand beside her. “They certainly didn’t while we were there, but they wouldn’t let us take his body, and besides we had our han
ds full with Jon.”
“What happened,” Devlin said. “How did they get hold of him?”
“They ambushed the Cazado r. Rico and Janey are dead as well, and they have Alex.”
“What?” She could hear the shock clear in his voice. “What are you doing about it?”
“We’re going to get Alex back, and we’re going to kill the people responsible.”
“Sounds like a good plan. I want in.”
Chapter 21
Callum had thought she’d hurt him that day she’d poisoned him.
But the pain was nothing to what he felt now.
He’d gotten used to being in control. Now he was faced with something he had absolutely no control over, and he was breaking up inside. She was being so brave. Her dream had been to live forever, and now she was dying. How could she go on as though nothing had happened? She was discussing the “plan” with Skylar, tossing ideas back and forth. Why did she care when she was going to die? What did it matter to her whether they got Alex back or not when she wouldn’t be around? And they couldn’t save Alex anyway. This was a suicide mission. They would all die.
The truth was, they might have well have continued on Trakis Seven and got Tannis the treatment. At least she would have lived.
But she’d chosen these people instead over a chance of forever with him.
And now. Now, there was one last remote possibility. So remote that he didn’t even dare talk to her about it. But the longer they put it off the remoter the chance of them succeeding. And they were wasting time here.
Anger built up inside him, and he allowed it to rise because it was better than the pain.
“Callum?”
At Tannis’s softly spoken question, he looked up. Everyone was watching him with expressions varying from alarm to understanding. “What?” he snarled.
“Chill out, you’re scaring people. I know you’re hurting—”
“How the hell do you know that?” he growled. “You’re not a fucking mind-reader—remember? You gave up the chance of that.”
She bit her lip. “I’m sorry.”
“You seem to be saying that a lot lately.”
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