“Paul. I can't. I won't.” This was awkward. After three years of celibacy, how did she end up with two men at once?
“Rachel, you don't have to hide anymore. I've seen too much, heard too much. I know who and what you are, and I don't care. I know you love me. Don't deny it.”
Rachel tried to wet her lips but her mouth went dry. “Paul, I can't because there's someone else.” She hung her head. “I'm sorry.”
He barked a mirthless laugh. “We've only been separated a few days. How the hell can you find someone else? Who is he?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yeah, sweetheart, it does. If I'm going to get jilted, I want to know by whom.”
She averted her gaze, but he lifted her chin to make her look at him. There was anger in those brilliant blue eyes and then blanket realization.
“Oh, it couldn't be. Not him.”
Rachel turned away, her fingers fiddling with a long ribbon that wrapped around her waist.
Paul threw his hands up. “Well, of course. Why not go for the alien who ordered Denman to turn you over to him? For crying out loud, Rachel. He's using you. Can't you see that?”
“It's not like that.” She scolded him like an angry cat, her fists batting at his chest without the sake of claws.
“Really? I suppose he kisses your feet before he kisses anything else on your body. You being a god and all.”
“Stop it!” Rachel screeched at him but he never missed a beat. He wanted her angry.
“Am I supposed to grovel at your feet too? Is that what you're waiting for?”
Now he was just being belligerent. “Damn it, Paul, why the hell are you here? I know Gilgamesh didn't bring you up here just to see me.”
“No, princess, he didn't. He wants me to do a job for him. He wants me to hack into a high-security computer system. The man is convinced the freakin' com-web is killing your people.”
She knew it sounded crazy. It wasn't much to go on, only speculation, but it was all they had.
“Something is hurting us. Gilgamesh wasn't making that up. But how does he expect you to help?”
Paul's face turned somber. “Everything's run by computer. And the computer running the com-web is the next-generation platform of the computer running that lovely military resort where we've been guests the last few days. I hacked myself out of there, and Gilgamesh is hoping I can hack into this new system.” He kicked the carpet. “I agreed, knowing it would keep you safe. You're all I've thought about these last few days.”
Paul rubbed a smooth fingertip down her cheek. She felt one of her tears follow it down. “I'd be good for you, Rachel. We'd be good together. Besides, it's not as if 'soldier boy' is going to give all this up to be with you. You know the type. He's married to the military.”
He was right. It wasn't hard to see where Jessit's loyalties lay. She knew she had no future with him. But Paul was a different story. Now that estrus had passed, Gilgamesh couldn't have his breeding auction, and she was free to spend her time with whomever she wished.
Her na'hala tasted Paul gently. He'd already been taken, probably more than once.
Damn it, Gilgamesh. Not Paul too.
Paul's spirit had been compromised. It was too fractured to go beyond when his mortal life was over. She didn't have to worry about hurting him. Someone else had done that.
She wanted to beg forgiveness when she looked into his trusting eyes; instead she buried her grief. There was no power mighty enough to restore what had been stolen from him. And those who hurt him would never be tried. It was up to her to make amends. “Can you hack into that computer?”
He nodded. “I think so. But I need some interference to blind the computer long enough for me to get in.”
“Okay.” She smoothed out her dress. “I can do that.”
“How can you—”
She pressed two fingertips against his lips. “Trust me. I'll get you in. We're a team, remember?”
“And after that?”
She took his hand to her lips and kissed his fingers. “After that, I think we both need to take a long vacation…together.”
Chapter 25
The maps and data Gilgamesh requested were delivered in minutes. He studied the charts and digigraphs, while Jessit sat in silence. A grand dinner had been prepared, but Jessit wasn't about to interrupt his Holiness with anything as mundane as food.
Gilgamesh peered over at Jessit with a satisfied grunt. “I think I see a way in, but Paul won't be able to make it alone.” A perverse grin painted his face. “It seems he will require divine intervention.” He clasped his hands together, pleased with his plans. “How long must I wait to eat, Taelen?”
Jessit jumped to his feet. “Dinner is prepared, my Lord. Whenever you are ready.”
“Get my daughter and Paul Domino. We will dine with them alone.”
“Sir, with due respect, Lord Kalya—”
“Is a nuisance and not required at our table,” Gilgamesh said, cutting Jessit off. “I did not come here for pleasantries, Taelen. I came to save a planet.”
Jessit bowed his head low. If Domino didn't succeed, the task would be left to him and the armada. The Emperor had pledged them all to a holy war. Jessit called a steward to summon the other guests while he escorted Gilgamesh to the prepared banquet. He wished he could have been the one to tell Kalya he wasn't invited. There were so few pleasures in his life lately, and he sorely wanted to jab Kalya where it hurt him most.
Rachel and Domino were waiting for them when they arrived. Rachel looked radiant, her cheeks flushed with color and her eyes dewy soft. He studied her for a moment, startled by a strange sense of sadness in her bearing. She was smiling, but her eyes told a different story. She'd also been crying. A lump settled in his throat as she drew nearer. Every time he got close to her his chest warmed like an ember. He sighed audibly.
Gilgamesh didn't let it go unnoticed.
“She is a beautiful woman, so much like her mother.”
“Meeting both you and the Lady has been the greatest joy in our lives, Holiness.”
Gilgamesh laughed. “I have a feeling Rachel has probably given you more joy than I have. But I will have to take her away from you soon. Her destiny lies elsewhere.”
“Mine too, it seems,” Jessit said absentmindedly.
Rachel glided toward him, extracting herself from Domino's arm, then latching on to Jessit's hand.
A shiver ran through him. It felt like she was inside him once more. She kissed him, the soft glow on her face making her look like a woodland spirit. He helped her to her seat, motioning to the servants to serve at once.
Rachel turned to her father. “Did you get what you came for, Gilgamesh?”
Gilgamesh regarded her with the barest of importance. “I did, though it might be harder to get into the complex than I hoped.”
“Where is it?”
“Chicago.”
She nodded in acknowledgement. “I lived in Chicago for a while. Where did they put this computer, downtown?”
“Somewhere a little lower than that.”
Rachel waved her soup spoon at Gilgamesh. “Paul and I have discussed it. I can run interference for him once he gets inside the complex.” She took a bite of her fish soup and swallowed. “We won't have any trouble.”
“It's underwater.” Gilgamesh lifted his water goblet to his lips, but his eyes watched for Rachel's reaction.
Jessit noticed a flush of pimply bumps rise on Rachel's arms.
“What?”
“The facility. We found the hub, but it's underwater. Under Lake Michigan to be exact.” He didn't elaborate further.
She put her spoon down and stared at her place setting. A subtle gulp punctuated her unease, though she tried to look unaffected. “What kind of idiot puts a trillion-dollar facility in the middle of a lake?”
“It's quite clever, actually. Do you still want to accompany Paul?” Gilgamesh seemed unconcerned about Rachel's water phobia, but he granted her the option
of backing out.
Jessit felt sorry for her. It was hard to imagine anyone being afraid of water.
Rachel didn't say anything at first. Paul answered for her. “I can get in on my own, Rachel. I don't need you to go.”
“No,” she said with a shudder. Her face paled. “No. I'll go with you.”
“That will not be necessary. I will go with Mr. Domino,” Jessit said.
Paul glared at him. “I don't see how you'd be any help.” He paused. “Sir.”
They locked stares, neither wanting to give quarter. “This is a covert operation, something I am sure you are ill-equipped to understand. We have the resources to get you in and out. And I can at least keep you from getting killed. For Rachel's sake.”
“That's not necessary, Taelen,” Rachel insisted. “I'll go. I can follow Paul in my ethereal form and get him in.” She looked down at her fish soup. “At least that part of me can't drown.”
“Agreed.” Gilgamesh tapped his glass with a spoon to settle the dispute. “We will return you to Earth. Jacob Denman will put you some place safe. There you can disengage from your body and follow Paul. Jacob has assured me we can get Paul to Chicago by morning.”
Dinner concluded on a somber note, Jessit gloomiest of all. Gilgamesh planned to send Rachel down to the planet surface that night, but she begged him to let her have the evening on board ship. Jessit cringed when he noticed her look lovingly in Paul's direction.
Jessit ordered a steward to ready their quarters, but he suspected Paul would be sharing his bed with Rachel. He bid everyone good-night and retired for the evening. He needed time to heal his wounds, and that would require ample alcohol.
Delicate footsteps sprinted behind him. He turned to find Rachel alone.
She looked wounded, as well. “Are you taking Ajula to your bed tonight?” Her eyes shimmered with the hint of tears.
“No,” he said quietly. “I planned on sleeping alone.”
“Me too.” She bit her lower lip. “Maybe we can sleep alone together.”
“What about your friend, Domino?”
Her hands reached up around his neck before she kissed him. He didn't want to kiss her back. He didn't want to fall into a trap he couldn't escape, but it didn't stop him from holding her in his arms. Something torched inside him, and he realized he needed her like he needed breath. Without another word he scooped her up and carried her to his quarters.
Jessit locked the door behind them and smothered her with a kiss he'd been holding back all night. “Will anyone ask for you?”
“No,” she said breathlessly.
“Domino?”
“No one. No one knows I'm with you.” She nibbled her way up his ear.
He pulled her away, wanting to freeze every detail of her in his mind. Tonight would be the last time they would be together. He wanted this moment to last a lifetime. “I love you, Rachel. I love you so much.”
She stared at him for several seconds, her eyes glistening with tears. “I love you too, even when I knew it was wrong.”
Wrong. That was it. She felt it too. Their love was wrong. It was twisted and wicked. He was meant for the priesthood. The only love he should express should have been from his knees as a disciple, not a lover.
“When I saw you with Domino, I thought…”
“Paul is my friend and I love him, but not the way I love you.” Her hands feathered down his arms. “He said you wouldn't want me. He said you were married to the military.” She crushed her body against his. “Tell me it's not true.”
Jessit held her as she sobbed on his shoulder. How could he tell her he couldn't keep her? How could he admit she was better off with Domino? In a matter of weeks, he'd be useless to her in bed, destined to serve as her priest and not her lover.
She sniffled and wiped her eyes. “You're not saying anything.”
He wiped an errant tear off her cheek with his thumb. “Words…are not enough.” He grazed his lips over hers, and she opened her mouth to accept his.
“Tell me Paul is wrong. Tell me you want me.”
His hands worked feverishly at the ties on her dress. Want her? He hungered for her like a man possessed. If only he could keep her.
One deft move freed Rachel from her gown. It fell to the floor in waves of silk. She pulled his tunic off his shoulders then fussed with the clip at his trousers. He unbuckled it for her, unwilling to waste a single moment on trifles, and they fumbled for the bed. They nibbled, kissed and licked each other, powerless to deny their lust.
Union, his na'hala said. He heard it clearly that time, and hers, as well. He hurried to get them both naked.
The urgency to mate wasn't paramount anymore. Instead it was replaced by something sweeter. The need to be one.
He slid a finger between her legs and she shuddered a gasp. Her hand went to his cock, but instead of pumping it, she teased it with delicate fingers. It was enough to make him hard as stone.
He fingered her more vigorously until she cried out for him. “Come for me,” he urged her. “Let me hear your bliss.”
She moaned in his ear, a serenade that made him mad for more. He wanted to hear her. He wanted to know that it was his touch that drove her to sweet torture.
In the throngs of passion, just like before, their na'halas touched and merged, pulling them into the ethereal as one single being.
Jessit shuddered when their souls fused. How was he ever going to tell her they were through?
“What?” She pulled away and stared at him in disbelief.
“Is something wrong?”
“You said we were through.”
“I-I said no such thing,” he stammered.
“You didn't have to. I felt it.” She pressed against his solar plexus. “Here.”
His na'hala had a big mouth. He hoped it was capable of keeping some secrets.
“Did it not also tell you how much I love you?”
She nodded her head.
He rolled her to her side and held her face with both hands. “No matter what happens, always remember that.”
“You're keeping something from me.”
He kissed her gently on the lips. “That is impossible, my love. Everything I have is already yours.”
***
They made love many times throughout the night, bringing morning much too soon. Gilgamesh had insisted on collecting Rachel early. He wanted her on Earth ready to join Domino when he arrived in Chicago. Domino had already left. Jacob Denman was entrusted to see him safely to his checkpoint. Gilgamesh was anxious to get underway, as well.
Jessit answered the door dressed only in his robe. Kalya and Gilgamesh waited impatiently on the other side. They barreled in without apology.
Rachel, still naked and under the covers, clutched the sheet to her breast when she saw Gilgamesh. “At least have the decency to allow us to dress.”
Gilgamesh's face hardened into a stony façade. He glared at Jessit with a father's loathing. Jessit was in a strange predicament. He couldn't blithely offend a god, but neither did he feel the least bit repentant. Not anymore. Even if she was Gilgamesh's daughter, Rachel was a grown woman. Why couldn't she share a bed with him?
Jessit ordered Kalya out of his quarters. If there was going to be an argument, he didn't want that withered carcass of a priest getting in the way.
The old man balked. “I am here at our Lord's request.”
“Get out, Kalya, before I throw you out. This does not concern you.”
Kalya looked to Gilgamesh for support, but the Divinity was not interested in him. The old priest hobbled out with a squawk. Rachel took the sheet that covered her and stamped into the other room where she could dress in private. That left Jessit alone with Gilgamesh.
“She was not yours to take, Taelen Jessit.”
“I did not take anything that was not given freely, my Lord.”
Gilgamesh's face darkened. He lashed out at Jessit, grabbing him by the collar of his robe and pushing him against a wall. “She was in
estrus! How dare you interfere?”
Jessit wrapped his hands across each of Gilgamesh's wrists. He didn't understand the outrage. What difference did it make if she were in season? Surely a mere mortal couldn't get a god pregnant.
He was in a precarious situation. Instinct told him to fight, but common sense warned him not to be so quick to throw his life away.
“Let him go, Apa,” Rachel said, coming back into the room fully dressed. “It wasn't his fault. I came into season before you arrived. I had no choice. Taelen helped me.”
He growled at Jessit, never taking his eyes off him. “I think he helped himself too. He is not the same man. I can sense it.” His hands tightened around Jessit's collar.
Rachel pried her father's fingers off him and placed herself squarely between them. “You're right. He's not the same. Get over it.”
Jessit admired her courage, but Gilgamesh wasn't finished with her yet.
“What have you done?” he said menacingly.
Rachel took a step back.
“Rachel!” Her father's throaty growl held malice.
Gilgamesh pushed her farther back, grabbing her by the wrist. Her eyes went wild with fear, and she tried to pull away.
“I did what I had to,” she pleaded.
A god or not, Jessit wasn't about to let her suffer on his account. He moved to intervene when a hot charge of electricity bolted out of Rachel and into Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh staggered back, dazed but more livid than before. He rushed at her but Jessit pushed her behind him.
Gilgamesh jerked to a stop and studied them both. “What has she done?” he chanted in a sing-song voice.
Jessit felt something cut through him, slicing him open like a cleaver. When he looked down, he expected to see his intestines on the floor, but he was still whole. He also couldn't move.
He felt probed, as if Gilgamesh's fingers were poking around his organs. The more he struggled, the more it hurt. Rachel screamed at her father.
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