by Gail Koger
“There is no place you can run that I cannot find you.”
“I beg to differ.” I picked up his laser pistol, switched it over to stun, and blasted him. Crackling red energy danced over Jaylan.
“I. Will. Find you,” Jaylan snarled between clenched teeth; his body convulsed violently.
Wow. Color me impressed. The dude didn’t go down easy. Just to aggravate him a bit, I leaned over him and patted his cheek. “It’s been fun playing with you, numb nuts.”
A low growl broke from him.
My cell phone beeped. I scooped it off the desk. “Hello.”
My father roared, “Are you fucking nuts?”
Damn, he must be monitoring the security feeds. “Hey, Pops.”
“That Coletti will never stop until he captures or kills you.”
“That Coletti is Jaylan. You know, the Overlord’s big, scary hunter, and I just defeated him.”
Horror filled Pops’s voice. “Good God, what have you done?”
“Captured a bad guy.” Something none of our soldiers had ever accomplished. Where was my pat on the back?
“Kill him,” Pops commanded.
“What?” Was he nuts? I couldn’t shoot Jaylan in cold blood. A zillion fireflies danced in my head as my radar went to DEFCON 1. Fuck. Jaylan had summoned reinforcements. “Gotta go. Company’s coming.”
Pops snapped, “If you let him live, you will regret it.”
Spasms still rocked Jaylan’s body, and I smiled confidently. “The warlord has been neutralized.” Lowering my shields, I used my Siren abilities to scan the area. A bunch of Colettis were approaching on foot. I was definitely outgunned.
Jaylan’s voice was an ominous whisper. “Neutralized?” He darted psychically across my lowered shields and tried to pin me down mentally.
With a gasp of pain, I instinctively struck back, punching the hell out of the bastard’s mind.
The warlord blocked my blows and hammered my inner shields.
“The only brains getting scrambled are yours.” I stunned the warlord again with the cattle prod and kicked him out of my head. A shuddering breath escaped me. That’ll teach me to get cocky. “Bye-bye.”
A hand clamped painfully around my right ankle and yanked me off my feet. “Not. Leaving,” Jaylan rasped.
I knew warlords were a relentless bunch, but enough was enough. I drew my left foot back and kicked him in the face with my steel-toed boot.
He smiled at me.
Holy Mary, Mother of God. His smile was the most terrifying thing I’d ever seen.
Pops’s voice sounded from the cell phone. “The self-destruct sequence has started. Quit playing with the Coletti.”
“Yes, sir.” I pulled the knife from my boot and waved it at Jaylan. “Let go, or I will use this.”
His grip tightened.
“Not too bright, are you, buddy?” I stabbed the jerk in the hand and yanked my foot free.
“Mine,” Jaylan rumbled, stark possessiveness in his eyes.
“Never gonna happen. If I were you, I’d start crawling. You’ve got about ten minutes before this place goes boom.” I typed a command into my computer, and a door opened in the wall. Picking up my backpack, I smiled sweetly at him. “See you around, numb nuts.”
As the door slid shut behind me, the warlord’s horrific battle cry echoed off the walls.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. If he ever caught me, I’d be in big trouble.
Chapter Two
One look at the security monitors in our emergency bunker, and I knew I was in big trouble. The damned Colettis had dropped an energy field around the town, effectively trapping me. The only way out was through the escape tunnel in the stable, which was at the far end of the street. A street crawling with Colettis.
The only reason I wasn’t already in chains was the bio jammer I had clipped on my belt. It made me invisible to their scanners.
I prayed the command staff had evacuated safely. If Jaylan got his hands on them or me, our resistance movement would be seriously damaged.
Jaylan’s compelling voice sounded in my head. “Surrender, and you will not be punished.”
“Gosh, that’s really sweet of you, but I have to decline your generous offer.”
“Continue to defy me, and you will not like the consequences.”
“Really? Have you forgotten I just kicked your sorry ass? Leave me the hell alone, or next time, I will kill you.”
“You issue a challenge?”
Oh hell no. If you were stupid enough to let a warlord trick you into a challenge, you either found yourself committed to hand-to-hand combat or worse. My poor cousin Zoey had been conned into a sensual battle and ended up mated to Voss, the Overlord’s Battle Commander. Colettis are experts in mental sex, and could seduce a rock. “Nice try, but you’ll never lay a finger on me.”
“I accept your challenge,” Jaylan answered with an unholy glee.
“What! Wait, I didn’t—”A shock jolted me as a possessive mental hand slid between my legs and began tormenting my clit. Oh dear God. That felt way too good. Sucking in a shuddering breath, I fought for control. “Get your filthy hands off me.”
“You cannot stop me from taking what is mine.”
His? My temper flared to life. “You want a fight? Game on, chuckles.” I struck his mind with every ounce of power I had and tried desperately to ignore the ghostly mouth trailing erotic kisses down my stomach.
Amused male laughter sounded in my head. “The battle is mine to win.”
A strangled gasp tore from me when dozens of urgent hands roamed over my body, igniting my blood. Oh my God. The man was a freakin’ octopus bent on turning me into a nymphomaniac.
“You will beg for my touch, hunger for my possession.” Jaylan’s hot mouth closed around my right breast.
Every suck, every lick, sent an out-of-control rush of raw need tearing through me. “No. I won’t.”
“You will submit.” Jaylan’s tongue suddenly stroked my clitoris, enflaming every nerve ending.
How in the hell was he doing this? I had kicked him out of head, hadn’t I? My shields should be impregnable. Something penetrated my womb and vibrated wildly. I heard my shallow, desperate pants as the vibrations grew stronger and stronger. “Stop.”
“Never.”
Holy smokes. I could feel the intensity of Jaylan’s hunger, the driving need to possess me. My body caught fire. He was a fever in my blood. I burned for him. His mind slid sinuously against mine, coaxing me to surrender.
“You are mine.” Jaylan crushed my lips with urgent psychic kisses.
Writhing like a wanton under Jaylan’s marauding hands, I shook my head. “No. Not. Broodmare.”
“Soon you will need my touch to survive.” Jaylan’s fingers rolled my clit, and my senses exploded into a million shards of ecstasy. Shudder after shudder shook my body, and my internal muscles quaked and quivered.
A mechanical voice penetrated my sexual fog. “Five minutes to detonation.”
Holy shit! With what little sanity I had left, I fought off his sensual web.
In a dangerously compelling voice, Jaylan commanded, “Drop your shields.”
It took every ounce of willpower I had to keep from obeying him. “Seriously, dude, give it a rest. Don Juan you’re not.” I hated that my voice shook.
His fury hammered at my mind. “You will obey me.”
“Not a chance in hell, dumb ass.”
“Why do you fight me? You cannot win.”
A prime example of testosterone poisoning. “Wanna bet?”
Jaylan announced a bit testily, “I have marked you as mine.”
Horror twisted my stomach. That wasn’t possible. He hadn’t breached my inner shields. Maybe they were a bit cracked, but I was still safe. Wasn’t I? “I will never be yours. Get out of my head and stay out.”
“I’m inside you now. Our minds are linked, and nothing you do can change that.”
Another warning blared from the
loudspeakers. “Four minutes to detonation. Evacuate the area.”
“I’ll die before I allow myself to be turned into a broodmare.” I flinched when a ghostly hand stroked my cheek.
“My fierce little warrior. You are everything I want in a mate.”
“Whoop-de-fucking-do. Find someone else.”
“I have chosen you.”
“Why? You know nothing about me.”
“You are clever and have strong psychic abilities. As second in command of Earth First, you have demonstrated your excellent battle skills. “
Oh shit. My shields were more than a bit cracked. He knew way too much. Had I endangered our resistance movement?
His lips brushed my mouth. “I am very pleased with your beauty and your passion.”
No matter how hard I tried to fight, desire had sunk its hot claws into me. My hands began to tremble. The overpowering need to feel Jaylan’s touch on my skin was consuming me. This was really bad. I had to get away from him. Now!
“Drop your shields and accept your fate.”
“Go to hell.” I broke the link and blew out a shaky breath. Time was rapidly running out. If my plan didn’t work, I’d either get blown to bits or, God forbid, become a broodmare.
After stuffing several smoke bombs, a stun grenade, and his laser pistol into my backpack, I climbed the escape ladder to the second story of the saloon. I cautiously slid the secret panel back and waited ten seconds to see if Jaylan would pop in. Yay. No pushy warlord. Maybe I could escape.
I hurried across the room, opened the window, and started lobbing my smoke bombs into the street.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Billowing clouds of thick smoke obscured the area. While the Colettis were searching the street, I’d be taking the high road.
“A strategic but futile move,” Jaylan taunted.
Mentally, I gave him the one-finger salute.
“I shall take great pleasure in taming you.”
Good God, he sounded like some old movie villain. If he had a mustache, he’d be twirling it. Grabbing the laser pistol, I put it in the waistband of my jeans and quickly climbed out the window. I dropped onto the balcony.
“Tame this.” I hurled a stun grenade.
Kaboom!
Someone grunted in pain.
I gave a triumphant fist pump and bolted down the veranda.
“You do not attack my warriors!” Jaylan bellowed, more than a bit pissed.
“I have the right to defend myself against alien invaders.” Making a flying leap from the balcony, I managed to grab hold of the flagpole and slithered down.
A Coletti warrior loomed out of the smoke.
I stunned him and ran into the stable.
“Going somewhere?” Jaylan queried politely.
Shit! I spun around.
There he stood with a smirk on his face and a laser pistol pointed at my chest. “Drop your weapon.”
“Actually it’s your weapon.”
A laugh broke from Jaylan. “I admit you are a worthy opponent.”
“Gosh, you’re gonna make me blush.”
All the amusement faded from his face, and something dark and terrifying flickered in his eyes. “Put the weapon on the ground, and step away from it.”
“Yes, sir.” He’d probably take great delight in stunning me. Bits of horse manure rained down on my head. Hot damn, I was standing directly underneath Pops’s newfangled manure chute. I swallowed a laugh. Could I have planned this any better?
“Three minutes to detonation. Please evacuate the area,” the mechanical voice announced.
Very slowly, I lowered the pistol to the ground and backed toward the dump lever.
The warlord holstered his weapon and prowled toward me, every inch the predator. “My prey never escapes.”
God, what an arrogant ass. I waited until he was directly beneath the chute and leaning down for the pistol, before quipping, “You’re so full of shit.” Hitting the release lever with my mind, I watched in glee as a ton of stinky manure buried him.
“Adios, chuckles.”
“Two minutes to detonation. Please evacuate the area,” the annoying mechanical voice advised calmly.
“Time to get the hell out of Dodge.” I bolted into the last stall and flipped back the lid on a small alarm panel. I quickly typed the code into the keypad. A trapdoor opened.
I hurried down the steps. Thank the Lord I had left my dirt bike here this morning. I jumped on and kicked the engine to life.
His mental voice cold with menace, Jaylan snapped, “That was a mistake.”
“Not at all. You belong in a dung heap, along with all the other maggots.”
“Your disrespectful attitude will not be tolerated.”
“Really? I’ve kicked your sorry ass twice today, and I can do it again.”
“You think you have defeated me?” There was a touch of disbelief in his voice.
“You betcha. Your first mistake was underestimating me. Your second mistake, numb nuts, was thinking I have to fight by your rules. I don’t. Your third mistake was thinking I’m prey. I’m not. I’m a warrior, and you’re my prey. But, I’m the sporting type, and I’ll even give you a ten-minute head start.” If he fell for that, I had a bridge I’d like to sell him. I stomped on the gas and roared off.
“One minute to detonation. Please evacuate the area.”
Jaylan’s laugh of pure amusement rolled across my mind. “Warlords never run, and we live for the hunt. A clever opponent makes the capture so much more enjoyable.”
I bared my teeth in a snarl. “This is one fight you won’t win.”
“I will have you in my bed before the day has ended.”
A thunderous boom echoed down the tunnel, and the ground shook violently.
Dirt and rocks rained down on me. Fuck. I had run out of time. I threw a quick glance over my shoulder, and a jolt of raw fear sizzled through me. The tunnel was collapsing behind me.
“Drop your shields, and I will teleport you to safety,” Jaylan commanded urgently.
I increased my speed, swerving around the falling rocks. The lights flickered and died. Lashing out with my mind, I hit the exit door with every bit of power I had. It blew out, and sunlight streamed into the tunnel.
“Do not be a fool. Drop your shields.”
“Surrender is not in my vocabulary.” I burst out of the tunnel, right into our herd of longhorn steers. “Dammit!” I laid the bike down in a desperate attempt to miss them. Pain exploded in my body as I slid over a shitload of rocks.
The already spooked cattle stampeded, charging right at me.
“Oh fuck!” Rolling behind a small boulder, I curled into a ball as the terrified cows thundered over and around my refuge. I flinched as a hoof missed my head by a scant inch. The last longhorn galloped by, and I sagged against the rock in utter relief. My bike might be a crumpled mess, but I wasn’t dead. How wonderful was that?
“Your foolish actions will not go unpunished,” Jaylan growled.
My stomach lurched in horror. The warlord was close. Too close.
Jaylan demanded furiously, “How badly are you injured?”
“I’ll live.” Every bruise and cut making itself known, I climbed gingerly to my feet and carefully surveyed the area. Where was he?
A thick cloud of dust obscured the landscape. A shadow moved in the dust.
The shadow became a form.
The form became a man. Holy Mother of God! I hit the emergency beacon on my belt and bolted. I hoped Pops was monitoring the frequency.
Jaylan’s powerful body slammed into me, knocking me down. He locked his arms around me in an unbreakable hold. “You will not escape me again.”
I squirmed against his crushing grip. “Wanna bet?”
Jaylan’s teeth scraped lightly across my neck.
Sheer blind panic overwhelmed me. If he took my blood, he could find me anywhere, anytime he wished. “No! Let go of me, you stinky, manure-covered
bastard.”
“It ends now,” Jaylan purred in my head, and sank his teeth deep into my neck.
My body tightened as a pleasure-pain roared through me. The pleasure increased with every draw until my panties were wet and my pussy throbbed. “Stop! Damn you. Stop!” I beat frantically at his mind.
Jaylan suddenly stiffened. “Your blood is most unusual.”
Oh crap. Was my secret about to be exposed? “Really? How strange.” Through our link, I felt him swish my blood around his mouth as if he was savoring its very essence.
“Who is your father?”
“Hank Benson.”
Withdrawing his fangs, Jaylan licked the wounds on my neck and growled. “No. Your father is Coletti. You will tell me his name.”
“He’s dead. What difference does it make?”
His fingers clamped painfully around my jaw. “His name.”
One look at the menace glittering in Jaylan’s eyes, and I almost peed my pants. “My mother called him Thor.”
Jaylan jumped to his feet, dragging me with him. “How did he die?”
“He was trampled.”
“By what?”
“Horses. Mom got him hired as a stuntman in her Viking flick. He was a piss-poor rider. He fell off his horse and was trampled.”
“That is not possible. He was Coletti,” Jaylan corrected sharply.
“So you knew him?”
“Yes.”
There was a fleeting second of inky blackness, and we were standing in the war room of a Coletti battle cruiser. Yippee-ki-yay. Escaping just got a tad bit harder.
Six muscle-bound warriors snapped to attention. When the overpowering stench of horse manure hit them, they all took an instinctive step backward.
A horde of flies buzzed merrily around Jaylan’s shit-covered head.
Who knew flies could be teleported? I waved a hand in front of my face. “Wow, someone really stinks, don’t they?” I batted at the nasty critters. “Y’all have a fly swatter?”
The warriors stared at me in disbelief.
With a big smile, I gushed, “I’m Bree, and I think you know stinky guy here. The poor thing is a bit accident-prone. Right, honey bunny?”
His big hand wrapped around the back of my neck, and Jaylan bellowed in my head, “Not another word or I’ll throw you on the table and complete the mating bond now.”