by London Casey
But, beloved, I never accompany you on the hunt. We always speak before you depart…
Yes, damn it, he knew that. But this time he’d needed her, needed her presence in his head. Who the hell cared what she always did or didn’t do? The only thing that mattered was right here and now.
Easing down into his favorite oversized chair near the coffee table, Eden set his harem keeper down on the coffee table, picked up the black and gold tarot deck he kept there and shuffled it.
The Empress. Upside down.
Again, he shuffled, yet drew the same card.
Last time he’d asked about this card, his lovely pharaoh blew him off. Not this time.
“I want to know what this fucking card means and right now.”
She remained quiet a moment. Eden knew she was preparing some kind of bullshit answer, but he wasn’t going for it. His gut churned. Sweat erupted from his brow and crept down the side of his face, dampening the skin all the way down to his neck. He had a feeling Chrysalyn might be affected by this particular draw as well as himself.
“Tell me what this card means or you will find yourself in need of an heir to take up your rule.”
Snapping her lovely brown porcelain neck was no hardship for him. He’d simply have another made. Or better yet, allow one of her charges to take her place. They were growing tired of her heavy-handed tactics anyway.
Beloved, there is no need to be angry. I do not believe you have selected this card for you, but for someone else. Someone you will meet or have recently encountered.
“Just tell me what the fuck it means,” he growled. His nostrils flared as the tip of his nose smashed against her dainty little porcelain one. Then silence. Finally, she spoke, though her exasperated tone made him feel more like a scolded little boy than her master. Fine, he’d deal with it later.
As a man, it indicates the weakening of the figure of your beloved, either because you are experiencing your feelings and sentiments less intensely, or the woman is losing love because she is physically or emotionally distant. That is all.
Her voice trailed off.
Eden leaned his head against the backrest of the chair. With understanding came relief and the knots in his stomach loosened. It was so clear to him now. The man who wanted Chrysalyn, the Rahn asshole, was losing her. The woman was losing love for him. She must be coming to realize how good she and Eden would be together. After all, she did appear to be a smart female.
With a bit more pep in his step, Eden kissed his harem keeper on the very forehead he’d been ready to smash moments before. Setting her back in her case, he touched his fingers to his lips and blew her a kiss, not bothering to hide a grin.
Yes, she would have to be destroyed. He simply couldn’t have his little taskmaster trying to make Chrysalyn’s life difficult once they got together.
And get together, they would.
Chapter Six
Rahn paid a courtesy visit to the ship’s captain, Todd Laurens. Thankfully, the shrewd and experienced man was more than pleased to have a discreetly armed and qualified agent on board. After dismissing the lower-ranking officers from the bridge, Captain Laurens and his First Officer, Lt. Spans, offered to provide any assistance Rahn needed. He’d been ordered to keep a tight wrap on the details of the case and they were all on the same page. The captain and the government of the ship’s origin wanted nothing more than to keep it quiet that this vessel might be connected to a string of grisly murders spanning the Mediterranean and beyond.
After the brief meeting, he returned to the apartment he shared with Chrys, had a quick lunch, then scouted the ship from top to bottom. He noticed nothing out of the ordinary, but Mahpiya’s constant growling in the back of his mind let him know something was more than wrong.
The sun was setting by the time he made it back to the spacious suites. Damn it, Chrys wasn’t back yet. And there was no message on the voice mail from her, either.
Rahn prowled from one end of the huge apartment to the other. Through the living room and dining room, into the kitchen and back. The next trip took him from his bedroom, out the sliding glass doors onto the deck and into Chrys’ room. Her enticing spiced ginger scent was everywhere. He stood next to her oversized bed and couldn’t resist reaching down to grab one of her pillows. Face buried in the center of it, he inhaled deeply, drew her rich, womanly scent into his lungs.
The smell brought the memory of how perfectly her thighs cradled his head while he lapped at her succulent pussy. How her soft moans wrapped around his cock and squeezed relentlessly. The honeyed taste of the soft skin of her lips, the curve of her neck and her breasts with their chocolate cherry nipples. His fingers itched to bury themselves in the cottony down of her hair and pull her lush, inviting mouth against his. Wanted to feel her sharp teeth nibble and nip all of his sensitive areas as she explored his body.
She was such a beautiful female. All dark skin, light brown eyes and short midnight silky hair. He wished she’d let it grow out to its former length so he could wrap it around his hands while he rode her from behind. Chrys was a succulent treat, like syrup dribbled over cinnamon ice cream. And she was his. His woman. His damned stubborn woman who hadn’t bothered to let him know where she was all day.
He tossed the pillow haphazardly into the center of her bed and stomped back to the kitchen. He hit the speakerphone button on the satellite phone hanging on the wall, punched in a number and listened to the line ring while he pulled out the bowl of leftover poké.
His boss picked up the phone and Rahn confirmed their worst suspicions. Each of the murders had indeed occurred in a port of call right before this particular ship departed for its next destination. And it was getting more and more difficult to keep the information from leaking out to the public.
“So what do you have?” Geri asked. Her fingernails click, click, clicked on her computer keyboard in the background.
“Captain Laurens wants to accompany me into town at the next port. I’m having a hard time convincing him not to get involved. I wish you’d warned me he’s a former Navy man. Getting him to stay out of this is proving difficult,” he said around a mouthful of food. It was quickly washed down with a swig of iced tea.
“Is difficult? Does that mean you haven’t succeeded?”
“Hardly. I reminded him that our agency’s survival depends on our ability to remain secret. Blend in with the populace. I pointed out that it would be strange for him, a man who’s sure to be recognized by both crew and passengers, to be seen with me in the seedier parts of each town.”
“Didn’t work, eh?”
“Not even close. He reminded me that nothing about the victims or the places they were found was seedy. Still, only he and his first officer know why I’m here.”
“And what about Chrys?”
“I told her I’m investigating a case in Rome.”
“And she bought it?” Geri asked with disbelief.
“Doubt it. She’s a smart woman. I’m sure she’s already figured that if I needed to be in Rome for something important, I’d be there by now, and not tooling through the Mediterranean on a luxury cruise ship.”
“Any leads?”
“Nothing other than a few vague descriptions of a possible suspect,” Rahn reported. “But something odd is going on, something off. I can feel it. By the way, there’s someone I want you to check out for me. A man named Eden Pall. Five foot, ten inches. About a hundred and seventy pounds. I’m not sure where he’s from, but he looks and sounds of Egyptian descent.”
“Egyptian? Why don’t you use your own contacts to run him down?”
“I already put a call in to my aunt. She’s working on it. I’d already planned to stay a couple of days at her house in Alexandria when we pull into port, anyway. She’ll have something for me by the time we get there.”
One of the advantages of having a family full of law enforcement specialists. Whether at home in England or Egypt, there was the benefit of contacts who happened to be relatives.
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br /> Finished with his snack, he set the bowl in the sink and rinsed it quickly.
“Geri, I’d still like you to pull a report on him. It couldn’t hurt. And it’ll be days before we get to Egypt and Aunt Suman won’t call me on board, no matter what. It would be just my luck that Chrys would answer the phone. My aunt never could lie to Chrys.”
Geri’s “uh-huh” of agreement was quickly followed by a nosy, “Any chance you and Chrys might hook up?”
“Speaking of hook up,” Rahn deliberately blew her off. “What happened to Chrys and what’s-his-name? Why didn’t they get married?”
“Well, I’m not sure if I should tell you this, but knowing Chrys, she probably won’t spill it.” Geri paused, sounding a bit uncomfortable with the subject. Rumor had it his boss felt personally responsible for Chrys’ unhappiness. “You know I introduced her to Sean, right? After she decided you would never ask her to marry you, I was just trying to help her move on. He’d held some of the highest positions on the Department of Justice payroll. And now we know why. The man was an expert at keeping secrets, especially his own.”
“What are you getting at?” Rahn asked impatiently. Fingers raked a path through his hair as he snatched the phone off the hook, put it to his ear and paced. The carpet on the living room floor was so spongy and thick underneath his boots that he left tracks. He hated leaving tracks. Geri continued.
“Well, Chrys found out he had a whole ‘nother family right here in Denver. She’d met a young boy named Alex, who Sean introduced as his son. Chrys thought it was just some kind of ‘Big Brothers-Big Sisters’ thing. After all, Sean is white as the driven snow and Alex is African American, like Chrys. Turned out Sean was married to the boy’s mother and had been keeping Chrys a secret. Not to mention Chrys would have been wife number four, which he’d also neglected to mention, though she’d asked him flat out how many times he’d been married. Hell, if he couldn’t be honest, hid a wife, a son and a daughter, and couldn’t stay married after three tries, Chrys certainly didn’t want to get saddled with someone like that. Especially not at twenty-five years old. So, she canceled the wedding and cut him off.”
“So, did you cut his balls off slowly, or in one quick swipe?” Rahn asked, bristling at the thought of someone hurting Chrys in such a callous way. Bastard. Perhaps Rahn would look him up when he got back to the States.
“I don’t know how, but we managed to keep it quiet. There would have been plenty of agents upset about the way it all went down. They all love Chrys. Of course, she threatened to ‘disappear’ both me and Delaine if we touched Sean. She just wanted it to all go away, so she simply pushed it to the back of her mind and threw herself into her work. She’s been working herself to the bone ever since, which is why I forced her to take this vacation.”
“About this vacation, Eden Pall is supposedly taking a holiday. But he’s a bit too interested in Chrys.”
And speaking of Chrys, where the hell was the woman?
Mahpiya’s voice slipped into his mind. *She is near.*
‘Near and here are two different things. I told her to check in with me, damn it. Doesn’t she know it’s dangerous?’
*Chrysalyn senses an odd darkness in the spirit realm, but cannot determine whether it is focused on her or not, so no, she does not realize it is dangerous. She returned here after her spa treatment, but it was during the time you spoke with the leader of this vessel.*
Rahn’s attitude instantly reduced from an angry tyrannosaurus rampage down to miffed male seethe. At least Chrys wasn’t avoiding him. Wait a minute. How did Mahpiya know where Chrys was if she couldn’t speak thought-to-thought with her yet?
*Adonei told me,* Mahpiya replied in a sultry purr. *He has been keeping me…company.*
‘Oh, yeah? What kind of company, Mah?’
*Do not play games with me, cub. You are aware we are mates. And while you have yet to secure your female, Adonei has wasted no time securing his.*
Oh, god, he didn’t want to know any more. Just the thought of mating was a seriously nasty turn-on. What the hell was wrong with him?
*I always believed you were more lion than human,* Mahpiya crooned. The transparent image of the majestic beast slowly groomed its paws.
Geri’s voice streamed through the earpiece of the phone and broke through the private conversation between Rahn and his spirit guide.
“Rahn, are you there?”
“Uh, yeah, sorry, boss. Just thinking up various ways to keep Chrys off this case and out of danger without tying her up,” he said, pacing again. But tying her up held a certain appeal. At least he’d know where she was.
“I don’t envy you, Rahn. If she finds out you’re spying on her, she may just kick your ass,” she said glibly.
“I’m not really spying on her, just trying to keep her ass out of trouble. And if I recall, you sent me on this assignment, so my being here is your fault. I’ll let her kick your ass,” he chuckled. “I’ll check in with you before I leave the ship at the next port.”
“No problem. Talk to you later.”
The second he clicked off the satellite phone and strode into the kitchen to hang it up, he called for his spirit guide again.
‘Okay, now where is she?’
*Did we not promise to help you, shall we say, ambush Chrysalyn? And so we shall.*
With that, the air in front of the pantry shimmered and shifted until it solidified into Mahpiya’s corporeal body. She was such a powerful creature, so regal and perfect that Rahn almost regretted that no one could see or hear her except for him. He’d love to get a photo of her rolling from her side onto her back with her tongue lolling out. He’d never seen her so playful. That Adonei must be one hell of a man, er, lion.
*Do not concern yourself with my mate. We must help you win yours.* Then Mah stood with all the grace and attitude of the feline she was. She padded silently away. Rahn watched with curiosity. Where was she going?
The second the thought formed along the bond, the lioness swung her large head and pinned him with an amber stare.
*Are you not coming, hoksila? Your mate has gone to dinner. Surely you do not plan to go after her dressed like that. Besides, after your day of scouting, you smell…interesting.*
Then she laughed at him. Again. How the hell did she do that? And all at his expense. Good thing he knew she had his best interests at heart.
Less than half an hour later, Rahn and Mahpiya left the apartment. Rahn had to admit, it was pretty cool to walk down the wide civilized hallways with a bad-assed African lioness at his side.
Now all he had to do was capture a flesh and blood female hunter—Chrys.
Unlike this morning’s breakfast bistro, this restaurant was dimly lit with an intimate atmosphere. The place was decked out for a performance of some kind of mystery song-and-dance dinner theater. A carpet of artificial fog crept across the floor, disturbed by the incoming crowd. Slightly scented votive candles glowed in the center of each table. The mystery in the air complemented the props and background music. Not creepy, but seductive.
Regardless of the lighting, two steps through the door, he spotted Chrys across the room and stopped short. She sat at a table with Eden Pall. Again. What the hell was she doing with that guy?
‘Mah, you’re aware of how I’m feeling?’
*Aren’t I always, hoksila?*
Yes, it was a stupid question, but he was pissed the hell off and couldn’t say he was thinking rationally. But he was a master of pretending to be coolheaded.
‘Be a dear and give Adonei a glimpse of my fabulous attitude so he can pass it on to Chrys, hm?’
*I will do as you ask, my charge, though you may want to reconsider.*
‘Because?’ he asked impatiently.
*Because there are times when it is better to be wise rather than right.*
‘Perhaps. But not tonight. And while you’re conversing with Adonei, lend me your senses. All of them.’
The raw power of the lioness surged through h
im, amplifying his own ability to see, hear, feel, taste and smell.
Rahn immediately regretted his request. Several women mingled in the small crowd between his position and Chrys’ seat across the room. Their strong, much-too-flowery perfume stung his nose. Gah, how awful. He practically gagged.
Yet the strongest of the lioness’s talents was sight. From this distance, he saw the nap of the viscose used to weave the cloth of Chrys’ dress. The glittery lotion on her skin made the cinnamon shade appear dusted with diamonds. The candlelight reflected off the strands of cropped waves and curls on her lovely head.
He didn’t miss the sudden rise of Chrys’ chest. The quiet gasp told him the exact second Mah and Adonei passed his emotions on to her. She was getting more from him at this moment than either of them had bargained for. More anger than he’d ever expressed in word or deed. More raging possessiveness. More raw, erotic need.
Her big brown eyes found and then followed him as he wove his way around the tables. The place was packed with patrons who had no idea that a volatile situation had just walked in on two legs. Chrys’ expression was a mix of confusion and apprehension and he knew she hadn’t realized until now just how much he saw her as his. And she’d have an even clearer picture before the night was through. That was for damned sure.
The Eden creep spotted him as he made a beeline for their table. Why the hell did they have to pick one all the way on the other side of the room? Well, at least it was close to an exit door. Wait a minute. The Eden creep probably intended to whisk Chrys through that fucking door for a little evening interlude under the stars.
“Hello, love,” Rahn whispered. A quick kiss on Chrys’ cheek was followed by a steel-laced, “Eden, how nice to see you again.”
Both occupants were doing a hell of a job schooling their features. Chrys’ mouth hadn’t fallen open nor had her eyes widened to the size of tea saucers. And Eden’s distinct deep golden features were a blank mask. But this time, when the older man started to rise, Rahn moved smoothly with a gesture of conciliation.