“Exactly.” She pulled her hand back and reached for her fork. “I couldn’t read him. That should have set off alarm bells, but I was happy I couldn’t read him. Because if I couldn’t, then my family couldn’t either. I’d have something for myself, a secret romance. I was an idiot.” She popped a piece of tart in her mouth and chewed with more vigor than was warranted.
“You were young and alone and scared,” he corrected. “And a charismatic man came along and made you feel special and loved. That’s not idiotic at all. It’s how people are built.”
“Even you?” she challenged. “You come across as this invincible force. I can’t see a woman bringing you to your knees.”
He took her hand again, held it when she would have tugged away. “Look harder.”
“You mean me? Oh, come on, Adrian. You’ve been in control since the moment we met, each move carefully orchestrated. I certainly haven’t brought you to your knees.”
“You have. Do I have a mission? Yes. Did I know we were destined mates? Yes. But my plan fell apart the day you followed me into the woods. I was vulnerable that night. And I was unable to resist you.”
“You make it sound like I was trying to take advantage of your vulnerability that night. But I wasn’t! I just wanted to comfort you. Help you. Something. I knew you were hurting over Ben.”
“You did comfort me.” He squeezed her hand. “And yes, Ben’s death devastated me. Not only because it was my fault, but because meeting Ben changed my life.”
“It was not your fault, Adrian! You did everything possible to save him.”
“I was cocky,” he corrected. “The Mendukati had a small group waiting for us at the airport, and I took them out easily. Got on that plane with Ben thinking I had everything covered.”
“You had no way of knowing they’d gotten to the pilot.”
“It’s my job to think of every possibility. They’d Whispered the pilot to fly us to Roswell but think he was going to Sedona. It was actually a really clever compulsion. If I hadn’t realized the sun was on the wrong side of the plane, they would have captured us for sure.”
“But you did realize it. You talked to the pilot.”
“Yes, and he thought I was trying to hijack the plane. Pulled a gun. And Ben got shot.”
“Ben got caught in the crossfire. You tried to save him.”
“Right. I tried. I stopped the bleeding as best I could and put an oxygen mask on him. Then I had to fly the plane because I’d punched out the pilot.”
“Exactly. You wanted to save him.” She leaned in. “Look at me. Ben wouldn’t blame you.”
“Ben didn’t blame anyone for anything. Judgment wasn’t in his nature.” He gave a sharp laugh. “But it’s my job description.”
“Enough of that. You said Ben changed your life. How?”
“Well, you’ve met my father. He’s kind of a hard-ass. I was well on my way to turning out just like him.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Well, believe it. Think about it, Tessa. I was a son being raised by a single father in a military institution. There was very little softness about my life. My mother was out of the picture, and female Warriors aren’t the warm and fuzzy type. The only example I had was my father, so I did everything I could to pattern myself after him. To try and make him proud.”
“That seems very normal to me, Adrian. What else could you do?”
“I’ve accepted that. Then about fifteen or sixteen years ago, my mission took me to an Atlantean orphan camp. We’d heard rumors of a possible Stone Singer turning up there. I was sent to check it out. That’s where I met Ben.” A nostalgic smile teased his lips.
“The Stone Singer, was that Faith?”
“Yes. Her powers were just manifesting, and I was sent to confirm the rumors. She was an orphan. Ben had married an Atlantean Flame Walker, and they had a son, Michael. Ben’s wife had died in childbirth, and he was raising his son with the Atlanteans so that Michael could learn about his powers. Ben was a teacher there.”
“I thought Ben was a fetish carver.”
“He was, but he also taught the kids about balance and the harmonies of the Earth. I think Faith connected with him because they both understood stones and the Earth’s energy.”
“He sounds like a wonderful man, a great influence for a child.”
“He was a great influence on me, too. He showed me that there were different ways to be a man, that I didn’t necessarily have to embrace my father’s way if it felt wrong for me. That I could feel emotion openly and yet still be a strong man, still fulfill my missions.” His voice grew rougher, a hint of moisture in his eyes.
Her heart melted. “He was like a second father to you. Oh, Adrian, I had no idea.”
He took a deep, cleansing breath and visibly struggled for control. “I thought I had my emotions contained. But that newspaper tribute to Ben brought it all to the surface. And seeing Faith so utterly destroyed—I couldn’t stay there. I couldn’t fall apart in front of all those people. Larina was there, and I had an image to uphold. I needed your family to continue to have faith that I could protect them … even though I had failed to save Ben.”
“My family would not have thought ill of you for showing genuine grief for someone so special to you,” she said. “In case you haven’t noticed, the guys in my family are very emotional and don’t try to hide it.”
He chuckled. “I did notice. Your family has been good for me. I’ve never witnessed first hand how a real family works. It’s made me realize I come from some pretty broken people.”
“My family isn’t perfect. Remember, my mom hid the existence of the Mendukati from us. To protect us, she said. But now I think back to Luke and wonder—if I had known the Mendukati existed, would I have been so quick to trust him?”
“We’ll never know, so don’t torture yourself.”
“I could say the same to you. It’s not like you were lax in your duties, Adrian. You did everything you could to keep Ben safe and to save him when things went sideways. You need to forgive yourself.”
“Easier said than done.” He laughed. “What a pair we are.”
“We all have our ghosts,” Tessa said. “I never got a chance to meet Ben, but I think I would have liked him.”
“I think you would have.” Adrian stared into his empty coffee cup, clearly lost in the past. “Ben accepted everyone as they were. For instance, he had no illusions about his son. Michael was power hungry and was in the process of moving up the ranks in the Mendukati when he tried to steal Faith’s powers. Michael died in the resulting struggle when her powers chose her, but Ben never blamed Faith. Instead, he took her under his wing and helped her rebuild her life.”
“I don’t know many people who could have done that,” she said.
“He was definitely one of a kind. I looked in on him from time to time over the years, mostly to check up on Faith’s progress, but also because I valued his wisdom. I just wish he knew how much he meant to me.”
“I’m sure he did,” Tessa said. “And if he didn’t before, he surely does now.”
The waiter headed for their table, check in hand, and Adrian twined his fingers with hers. “Stay with me tonight.”
There were still things they needed to talk about. She wanted to know more about his family and his mission here. And she knew she’d have to finish telling him about Luke and everything that happened. She had to feel completely safe with him. Know for certain he wouldn’t betray her. She shouldn’t sleep with him again until she was sure.
“Yes,” she said.
* * *
They got home about nine o’clock. The house was silent, except for the distant murmur of Lupe’s television. Bidding Darius and Faith good night, Adrian took Tessa’s hand, and they ran up the stairs like a couple of teenagers sneaking in after curfew.
As soon as she’d said yes, he’d paid the bill and taken a moment to Whisper suggestions to their waiters in case the staff had overheard anything th
ey shouldn’t in their dinner conversation. Security at all times, which meant safeguarding knowledge of the Atlantean world. The staff would only remember him and Tessa as being completely involved with each other and that he tipped well.
Sitting across from her all night, candlelight glimmering off her blond hair and gorgeous skin, it had taken every bit of his discipline not to kiss her, to seduce her back into his arms. But she’d told him what she needed, and it wasn’t seduction. She needed to get to know him, to understand him a little. Obviously that jerk in her past had done a number on her.
But they were bonded mates, and she would learn everything about him eventually, so he hadn’t minded letting her have a peek inside his world. But he hadn’t expected the surge of emotion she would unleash, the unresolved grief about Ben, the roaring hunger of desire, the aching tenderness for her caring nature, the longing for the comfort of her arms. He didn’t know how to voice it all, these sweeping reactions to everything that had happened. All he could do was show her.
He broke some speed limits getting them back to the Montana house.
They hit his bedroom door at a run. He slammed it closed behind them and pinned her against it, crushing his mouth to hers. She responded instantly, opening to him, making those little noises that drove him wild as he tangled his tongue with hers. She tasted like coffee and lemon and Tessa, and the combination made his head spin. He pulled the clip from her hair and buried his hands in the golden mass as it tumbled to her shoulders.
She tugged at his tie, at the buttons of his shirt, yanking the tie free and sliding her palms under the shirt, skimming his chest. He got his hands beneath her skirt. One yank made short work of the scrap that passed for her panties, and he lifted her up, hands cupping her cute little ass, as she wrapped her legs around him, still wearing her strappy sandals from dinner.
He buried his face in her throat, swamped with the scents that were Tessa: her soap, her shampoo, her perfume. But most of all the tang of her arousal. He slipped a finger between her legs. Already she was slick for him. Wanting him. She gave a breathy gasp and tightened her inner muscles around his finger.
It still wasn’t enough. How would he ever get enough of her? Would there ever be a time he would not want her? He couldn’t fathom it.
His hunger cracked like a whip on his hide. He craved to be inside her, one with her, her flesh in his hands and her taste in his mouth. To leave his claim on her. She’d never notice any other man. Anything she needed, he would give her. Or die trying.
Even his heart.
She whispered his name, her tone pleading, a call he couldn’t ignore. He brought her to climax with skillful fingers and deep kisses. And when she sagged in his arms, spent, he carried her to the bed and began again.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Rafe awoke in the back of the limo, his head fuzzy and his mouth dry. What the hell had happened? “Cara?” he rasped.
No answer.
That sparked a surge of adrenaline that cleared his head a little. He looked around the backseat of the limo. Empty. He reached for the Hunter, the primeval warrior he channeled who gave him his ability to locate anyone, anywhere. The new focus stone Faith had made him responded immediately, his power flowing through it seamlessly at his command.
Where is Cara? he asked the universe.
The picture formed in his mind immediately. Cara was in the back of a van, asleep or unconscious. He knew she wasn’t dead because the image was in color. Only the dead appeared in black and white.
Where are my parents? he asked. The same sort of image formed, his father and a blur he assumed was his mother, also unconscious in the back of a van. Not for the first time, he wished his abilities worked on Atlanteans. Luckily, both Dad and Cara were human.
Okay, so they were still alive. He peered out the tinted window. He couldn’t see much more than darkness, but he didn’t want to just jump out of the car until he knew what was out there. He amped up the Hunter to about fifty percent, which enhanced his physical senses. He didn’t hear anything except insect song and the faraway hiss of tires on blacktop. Okay, so he was near the highway, probably pulled off down a side road somewhere.
Why had they only taken his parents and Cara, but left him? He had to go outside, get his bearings, and find them.
He opened the door. Paused to listen. Nothing.
The interior light had come on when he’d opened the door, and he glanced around the backseat again. His gaze fell on an electronic tablet on the seat beside him. Whose was that? He didn’t remember seeing it when they’d driven to the charity dinner, though it might be his father’s. There was a note stuck to the screen.
Watch the video, it said.
He turned on the tablet. There was an icon with his name on it. He clicked it.
The video started. First he saw the limo parked on the side road with the night sky behind it. Then a man stepped into camera range. He was a tall guy, built like he spent a lot of time in a gym. Black hair and nearly black eyes, olive complexion, fashionable scruff that stopped just short of being a full beard. He was dressed in simple black pants and a long-sleeved, black nylon shirt, much like Adrian dressed when he was doing recon or something. This guy had to be a Warrior.
“Rafe Montana, my name is Azotay.” Azotay put a hand over his heart and sketched a quick bow. “I bear a message for you. If you want to see your fiancée and parents again, you will bring the stone to Santutegi in seventy-two hours. If you do not believe I am serious—” He signaled to someone outside camera range. Two other Warriors came forward, dragging the unconscious body of one of Mendez’s security team. They propped him on his knees and held his head by his hair. Rafe recognized him. Steve McKenna. He had a wife and two kids.
Azotay whipped out a knife and slit the man’s throat. Blood sprayed over the sand. The Warriors let his body fall forward into the dirt.
Azotay held up the still bloody knife. “I am very serious, Mr. Montana. Seventy-two hours, or my next target will be your fiancée. You will be contacted again when you reach Santutegi.”
Behind Azotay, Rafe could see the unconscious bodies of his parents and Cara being pulled from the car and hauled off screen. The video ended.
He set the tablet down on the seat and got out of the car. He saw Steve’s body immediately and checked for a pulse, though he knew it was probably futile. No pulse, and Steve’s skin was cool. He’d been dead a while, but not long.
He rose and searched the limo. No one else was there. What had they done with the other security guard and the driver? He reached for his cell phone and found it gone. Looked in the car, under the seats, in the trunk. Nothing. No keys, either.
Great. No keys, no cell, no GPS, no way to call for help. They’d probably destroyed the phones so he wouldn’t have much chance to contact anyone before they left the country. A decent plan, but they’d forgotten one thing.
Finding people was what Rafe Montana did for a living.
Calling the Hunter full force, Rafe got a bearing and started jogging toward the sound of the highway, the tablet in his hand.
* * *
Tessa curled into Adrian, naked, sated, and exhausted. His heart thumped with a steady rhythm beneath her ear. “Thank you for dinner.”
“My pleasure.” He stroked a hand down her back, lingering on her hip. “Or rather, your pleasure.”
She chuckled. “How about both our pleasures?”
“Works for me.” He patted her hip.
She rolled on top of him, relishing the friction of skin on skin. “Why do we always make love in your bed? I have a bed, too.”
“Because the condoms are in here.” His gaze settled on her breasts as she sat up, straddling him. He reached up with both hands to caress them.
She made a noise in the back of her throat, arching into his hands. “I think you’re trying to start something.”
“That’s because you’re a very intelligent woman.” He sat up suddenly and she squealed, grabbing his shoulders so she
wouldn’t fall. He took hold of her hips and held her fast, leaning in to take her mouth in one of those bone-melting kisses he was so good at. “Are you sore?” he murmured against her lips.
She caressed his lean cheek. “No.”
“Good.” The next kiss made her toes curl, and he patted around on the bed beside him one-handed, not breaking the kiss. Finally he did pull away. “Where the heck are those condoms? There they are.” He reached an arm to the far side of the bed and snagged one of the handful of foil packets he’d thrown there earlier. “Want to ride, beautiful?”
“Yes.” She stretched, loving the way his gaze followed her movements, that heat and hunger all for her. He tore open the packet without looking away from her. She lifted her hair and let it fall, arching her breasts toward him. Never one to refuse an invitation, he set aside the open packet and spent a few more moments tasting, touching, nibbling her breasts. She leaned into his grip, utterly certain he wouldn’t drop her.
I’ll always take care of you, princess, he whispered into her mind. I’ll never let you fall.
Never?
Never. You’re the woman for me, my mate. My only. From the first moment I saw you.
She closed her eyes, heard the crinkling of the packet. A few moments later he lifted her onto his erection, sliding home with ease. As always, that moment of joining shook her to the core. A hand in a glove, a key in a lock. They fit, like two parts of a whole that had been separated for far too long.
Why did she keep fighting this? Adrian would never hurt her. She had to learn to trust him, to have faith in them as a couple. As mates.
She rode him, guided by his strong hands on her hips. She lost track of time and place. All she knew was Adrian inside her. He’d learned what she liked, and used that knowledge to wicked advantage, sparking her body into wild, delicious abandon. When the climax struck, she cried out his name, arching backward before crumpling into his waiting arms, her body vibrating with pleasure.
Long moments passed, hearts thundering in accord, skin misted with sweat and breathing labored. She traced the tattoo on his chest with her finger. “This was way better than a charity dinner,” she murmured, lips curving.
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