Trevor nervously shifted the papers he held in his hands. “Maybe we should go public with the situation. Offer the Sutherland woman a deal.”
When Rueben continued to peer at him over the rim of his glasses, Trevor continued. “In exchange for allowing us to run tests on her and her child, draw some blood, take some samples, she will be heavily compensated and permitted to go free once the testing is complete. We get the samples we need, and they no longer have to run. It’s a win-win situation.”
“Have you lost your mind?” Rueben growled, marching around his desk to stand in front of Sparks. “We can’t go public with any of this. Too much is at stake. Not to mention, several people would be brought up on charges, myself included, after I’ve been impeached.”
“I’m sorry, sir. It was a terrible idea.”
“You’re damn right it was, and if you value your career, you won’t speak of such nonsense again.”
“Yes, sir.” Trevor fled the room in a hurry, nearly running into the door on his way out.
* * * *
Glenn Anderson moved across the deck and took a seat next to Amy. “Can I get you anything?”
Amy shook her head. “I’m fine, thanks. But I appreciate the offer.”
“May I ask you a question?” Glenn inquired, studying her profile.
“Sure.”
“What are your plans once we get to Cuba? I mean, I realize that you have your sister, but it looks to me like she has her sights set on one of those…things.”
Amy tilted her head slightly. “Things?”
“The aliens I told you about.”
“Have you ever thought that maybe you seem alien to them as well? Yet they have never done anything to harm you.”
“They are the very reason we’re in this predicament to begin with.”
Amy shook her head. “From what you have told me, we are the ones who blew that oil well and caused them to wash up onto the beach. How is it their fault that they are here?”
“It’s not. There’s just something unnatural about them. I don’t believe it was meant for us to cohabitate with them. They live beneath the gulf for a reason.”
Glenn glanced up in time to see Zaureth watching him with a hooded expression. He wondered what the creature was thinking as he stood there motionless.
“I don’t judge others by how they are created,” Amy informed Glenn as she rose to her feet. “Any more than I want others judging me for my disability.”
Glenn stood also. “May I help you to the cabin?”
“I will take her,” Zaureth announced, suddenly standing in front of them. Glenn hadn’t seen him move.
Amy’s face lifted, a soft smile playing on her lips. “Hello, Zaureth.”
The giant alien didn’t answer, only linked her arm through his and turned to guide her toward the cabin.
Glenn shook his head and wandered over to where Oz sat, steering the boat. “How much longer until we arrive in Cuban waters?”
“Not long,” Oz responded, his jaw muscle tense. “You have a problem with the Bracadytes?”
“What makes you say that?” Glenn took a seat next to the tall Cuban.
Oz briefly met Glenn’s gaze before turning his attention back to the waters in front of them. “It’s easy enough to spot. I’d be careful if I were you.”
Glenn’s own jaw tensed. “Is that a threat?”
“No threat. Only good advice. The Bracadytes are a loyal species. They love deeply, protect fiercely, and are more deadly than your human military if they are provoked.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
Oz sighed before turning to face him. “Because I don’t want to see you cause a fight that you can’t win.”
Glenn stood. “I’m not causing anything. I don’t have anything personal against them. I just feel that our two races shouldn’t mix. If we were meant to breed with them, we would have gills and fangs as well.”
“Says the man who betrayed his country for them,” Oz shot back.
“I didn’t do it for them.” Or did he? Glenn wondered, slinking off to the other side of the boat. Why had he helped the Bracadytes at the risk of his own life? He wasn’t sure, but something inside him had demanded he do it. Demanded he free Amy and reunite her with her sister. Demanded he give Zaureth the details of Winchester Industries, to aid in the rescue of Mallory and Vaulcron. Or maybe it was himself he was trying to free…
Chapter Twenty-Three
Vaulcron carried Mallory ashore as the boat docked near Oz’s hotel in Playa Pilar, Cuba.
“I can walk,” she insisted, her face tucked against his neck in obvious embarrassment.
“You would risk falling with this sheet hanging from your body.”
A muffled laugh sounded. “After all we’ve been through, to fall naked at your people’s feet would be the cake topper.”
“That would not be humorous. What is a cake topper?”
More laughter echoed in his ear. “It’s just a saying. You know, when you finally finish baking and decorating a cake, you finish it up with a cake topper.”
Vaulcron didn’t respond. He had no idea what a topper had to do with anything. Humans were a strange species.
“Fili mi,” Laurel breathed, descending the hotel steps with as much dignity as she could apparently manage. “You made it back.”
“Mother,” Vaulcron acknowledged, adjusting his precious burden. “It is good to see you.”
Laurel glanced down at Mallory before meeting her son’s gaze once more. “What do you have there?”
“Mother, this is Mallory Cahill. Mallory, this is my mother, Laurel.”
Mallory’s head slowly lifted. “Hello, Vaulcron’s mother. I’m sorry we had to meet under these circumstances, but it my pleasure.”
“She’s a human,” Laurel accused, not returning Mallory’s greeting. “Why are you carrying a human?”
“Can we not discuss this at a later time, Mother? Mallory needs to be cared for first. I will come find you once my mate is taken care of.”
“Your mate?” Mallory and Laurel simultaneously gasped.
“Tell father that I will be up to brief him this evening.” Without waiting on a response, Vaulcron strode off toward the front desk to pick up a new room key.
Mallory shifted in his arms. “We need to talk.”
“Yes,” Vaulcron agreed before stepping over to the nearest elevator. He pressed the shiny gold button and stepped inside. “We will talk after you have eaten and rested.”
Neither of them spoke as the elevator took off with a sudden jolt. A ding sounded, signaling their arrival on the third floor.
Vaulcron exited into the hall and strode to his previous room. He fished out the new keycard he’d retrieved from the front desk and entered his temporary home.
After carrying Mallory to his bed, he placed her in a sitting position on the side of the mattress. “I will send for clothing and food. You know where the bathroom is, if you would like to clean up.”
Mallory grabbed hold of his hand before he could turn away. “I’m sorry things happened the way they did. I should have never taken you to the States.”
“It was I who sent for you, Mallory. Do not blame yourself for what has happened. I do not regret leaving with you. I may never have discovered my feelings for you otherwise.”
“I feel the same,” she whispered, staring up into his eyes. “I only wish we’d met under different circumstances.”
Vaulcron’s chest tightened with emotion. “As do I. But you are here with me now, and I do not think I can let you go.”
“I can’t stay here forever, Vaulcron. I’ll have to return at some point and do what I can to see justice served. The American people need to know the truth.”
Anxiety warred with denial inside Vaulcron. She’d just admitted to wanting to go back. How was he supposed to let her leave him? “It is too soon to make a decision of that magnitude.”
“I realize that,” Mallory agreed. “But if I allow th
ings to go on as they are, more people will die in vain. President Howell needs to be removed from office, and Raducha needs to be made to take responsibility for his actions. Society has to be made to understand that the Bracadytes are not the enemy.”
Vaulcron sank to his knees in front of her. “And you think to take on your human government by yourself?”
She glanced away before meeting his gaze once again. “I don’t know how I’m going to do it. But I’m the only one with the evidence and resources to pull it off.”
“I cannot allow you to risk your life by returning to the States, Mallory.”
Regret entered her beautiful blue eyes. “You can’t stop me, Vaulcron.”
Vaulcron slowly rose to his feet, pulling her up with him. “You feel something for me. I can read your emotions.”
“It’s because I feel something for you that I must do this, Vaulcron. We’ll never have a life together as long as we continue to run.”
“Then I will come with you.”
Mallory reached up and rested her palm against his cheek. “You can’t. Someone would notice you. Look at you.” She glanced down his body. “You’re too big to hide. You could never pass for human.”
“What of your sister?”
Mallory faltered, uncertainty springing to her eyes. “I can’t take her back yet. She’ll have to stay here until I can come back for you both.”
A deep-rooted sadness settled inside Vaulcron’s heart. “I cannot live amidst the land walkers.”
“And I can’t live beneath the gulf.”
Vaulcron took a step back, a lump forming in his throat. “You should get cleaned up. I will return shortly with your food and clothing.” He turned toward the door.
“Vaulcron…”
He stopped with his hand on the knob.
“I’m sorry,” Mallory whispered, sorrow lining her voice.
“Me too.”
Vaulcron tugged the door open and quickly pulled it shut behind him before he changed his mind and gave in. His heart told him to follow her anywhere, yet his head seemed to know better.
He couldn’t live in the States with the prejudiced humans. To see the fear in their eyes every time he stepped out into public. Any children he and Mallory had would be discriminated against and possibly hurt because of their Bracadyte heritage.
No, he couldn’t allow that to happen, he thought, bypassing the elevator for the stairs. But what were the alternatives? Take Mallory to Aukrabah? She would never survive without the social interaction of humans.
Vaulcron ran a hand down his face. If he stayed with her in Playa Pilar, he ran the risk of bringing war to Cuba from the Americans. No matter which road he took, the end result didn’t look good.
“May I help you, Vaulcron?” the woman behind the desk asked in a breathy voice.
Vaulcron nodded, ignoring her attempt at seducing him. He believed the humans referred to it as flirting. “I am in need of some food and clothing for Miss Cahill.”
Jealousy flashed in the desk clerk’s eyes. “What would she like? And what size does she wear?”
Vaulcron had no idea how to answer either question. “I am not certain.”
“She’s a size six,” Amy offered, stepping up to the desk, holding onto Zaureth’s arm. “And she likes tuna on rye, diet soda…”
Amy continued listing some of Mallory’s favorite foods, but Vaulcron was no longer listening. He’d lifted his gaze beyond her shoulder and met the piercing green gaze of Oz.
“Would you please send everything that she mentioned up to room 323 as soon as possible?”
The clerk’s shoulders slumped in defeat, but she readily agreed. “Right away, Vaulcron.”
“Thank you,” Vaulcron murmured, striding off in Oz’s direction.
“She’s going to leave you,” Oz blurted, the second Vaulcron stopped next to him.
Vaulcron blew out a painful breath. “I know.”
“And yet you stand here, doing nothing.”
“What am I to do? I have asked her to stay, to give us a chance. She is adamant about returning to the States.”
“Then make her stay until she can see reason,” Oz pointed out as if they were discussing what they’d had for breakfast and not holding Mallory hostage.
“I will not keep her against her will,” Vaulcron growled. “It is not right. She would only resent me for it.”
“Then let her go. The choice is yours. I’m simply trying to make you see reason. If she goes back to Florida, she will most likely return to you in a body bag.”
Vaulcron’s stomach lurched. “I will not allow her to leave,” he vowed, heading back toward the stairs. He would keep her in Cuba if he had to tie her to his bed.
Chapter Twenty-Four
A week had passed since Mallory’s arrival in Playa Pilar. She’d stayed glued to the television when she wasn’t walking the beach with Vaulcron.
The days seemed to fly by with Mallory growing ever closer to the giant Bracadyte. If something were to happen to him, it would rip her heart out.
She’d nearly gone crazy avoiding his touch since their arrival in Cuba, but the lack of birth control made it impossible to give herself to him. After the fertility injections, the risk of becoming pregnant would be extremely high. If it wasn’t already too late.
“You are thinking again,” Vaulcron murmured, moving to sit next to her on the sofa.
“Watching the news always brings me down, knowing the longer I sit here, the more damage is being done by our government.”
“Perhaps you should not watch so much television.”
Mallory pressed the mute button on the remote control and gave Vaulcron her full attention. “I spoke with Griffin.”
A muscle ticked along Vaulcron’s jaw. “You should not have done that. You risk giving away our location.”
“I used a disposable phone. Besides, Griffin can be trusted. He’s the one who came to us when Jackson betrayed me, remember?”
“I remember. What did you learn from him?”
“That he has a copy of the interview I did with you back at my house. If I can somehow manage to get it on the air, I can expose President Howell and Raducha once and for all.”
Vaulcron gripped her shoulders while searching her gaze. “You cannot think that I will let you return to the States, Mallory. I thought I had made that clear.”
Regret warred with anger over his prehistoric assumption that he could force her to his will. “You are willing to let innocent people continue to die, as well as your own if Howell ever finds them, for the sake of keeping me here?”
Fear danced in his eyes. “I cannot lose you, Mallory. It would destroy me.”
She reached up and cupped his face. “You won’t lose me. I can be in and out without anyone knowing.”
“No—”
“They won’t be expecting me, Vaulcron,” she insisted, effectively cutting him off. “I’ve been gone for seven days. As far as they’re concerned, I’m never coming back.”
Vaulcron jerked her forward, crushing her against his chest. “Please do not continue with this line of thinking, Mallory. It is far too risky.”
Mallory could see that she was getting nowhere with Vaulcron. Hell, she’d known he wouldn’t understand that this was something she had to do.
As much as Mallory hated to deceive Vaulcron, she suddenly realized he left her no choice. “Okay then.”
“Okay?” He pulled back, his anxious gaze searching hers. “You will not attempt to go?”
“I won’t leave,” she lied, leaning in to brush her lips across his.
Vaulcron buried a hand in her hair and slanted his mouth over hers, devouring her with an urgency that bordered on desperation.
Mallory could taste the anguish in his kiss, the need and desire that matched her own.
He suddenly pulled back. “I want you, Mallory. To be inside your body, your mind, your soul.”
Butterflies exploded inside her stomach. She wanted him just as much, i
f not more. “We can’t,” she breathed, inhaling his masculine scent. “We don’t have any birth control.”
The agony staring back at her tore at Mallory’s heart. She reached down and dragged her shirt over her head. “But there are other ways to pleasure besides intercourse.”
Vaulcron’s eyebrows lifted. “I will do anything.”
“Then lie back.” Mallory stood and removed her shorts, anxiously watching as Vaulcron divested himself of his as well.
Her eyes widened at the sight of his huge erection pulsing against his stomach. She dropped to her knees in front of him.
Vaulcron stared down at her in obvious lust. “What are you going to do?”
“Just relax.” Mallory slid her palms up his thighs and wrapped her right hand around his rock-hard shaft.
The moan vibrating in his chest sounded animalistic and angry. Mallory paused.
“Do not stop,” he growled, his eyes darkening with desire. “I will go mad if you stop.”
Leaning forward, Mallory held his intense gaze as she slowly lowered her mouth over the head of his shaft.
Surprise registered on his handsome face but he didn’t try to stop her. “This is how humans—”
His words were cut off as she applied just the right amount of suction, forcing him deeper into her throat.
Mallory gripped him tighter in her fist, sliding her hand up and down his great length, following the course her mouth took.
His head dropped back, the corded muscles of his neck becoming prominent. A hiss escaped between his clenched teeth, and his hands immediately flew to her hair. “Mallory,” he snarled, lifting his hips on her next downward pass.
Mallory brought her other hand up and cupped the tight sac resting beneath his engorged shaft while continuing to make love to him with her mouth.
His legs began to shake, his breathing grew uneven, and his hands tightened in her hair seconds before his seed hit the back of her throat.
Mallory lifted her head but continued stroking him with her hand until his big body began to relax.
A shudder passed through him, and he shot forward, his hands wrapping around her ribcage. Mallory found herself flat on her back before she could gasp.
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