by Susan Hayes
“Everything’s ready on our end. Give us the word, and we’ll retrieve the package, sir,” Toran stated.
“Activate your personal feed and proceed.”
Two seconds later, another feed appeared on the monitor, this one from Toran’s perspective. The room stilled. Silent tension crept over everyone as they watched the team approach. It didn’t matter how many scans they’d done, the males were taking a serious risk, and everyone knew it.
Beside him, Megan watched, her upper body leaning forward as Toran leaned down and removed the top of the box. Nothing happened. There was a collective breath as everyone relaxed slightly.
“There appear to be five communication devices. One Pyrosian, one Romaki, and three human cell phones. Only one of the cell phones is intact, sir. The others have been destroyed.”
Toran flipped over the lid and showed them the instructions on the underside.
Make contact within ten minutes of opening the package. The contact information is on Richards. We are watching.
“Bring the package and the contents into the courtyard. I’ll meet you there.” Karos turned on his heel, making straight for the door.
Megan was only half a step behind him. “They destroyed their phones. That’s why we couldn’t track them that way.”
“And the third device is how they want us to communicate with them,” he continued, resisting the sudden urge to reach back for her hand and bring her in close to his side – where she belonged.
“I hate this. They’ve got us dancing to their tune. We’re never going to get ahead of them like this.”
“We will find a way.”
“We better. Our friends’ lives depend on it.”
Karos gave her a curt nod and kept walking. He wanted to comfort her, to hold her and assure her that they’d find a way to make this right. The Gods must be testing him. Why else would they do this him in the middle of a crisis? He still didn’t believe she was his mate, but he couldn’t ignore her effect on him. She was desirable, beautiful, courageous, and a distraction he couldn’t allow
Megan caught herself ogling Karos’ ass as he walked ahead of her. For a mature man, he was in amazing shape. If it weren’t for the silver in his hair and the lines around his eyes, she’d put him in his thirties, tops. Then again, his species was supposed to live for centuries. “How old are you?”
He glanced back at her in surprise. “In Earth years? A little over two hundred. Why?”
She nearly stumbled, too surprised to pay attention to what her feet were doing. He was two hundred years old? It was hard to imagine living that long. Or looking that good after two centuries. “Just curious. You seemed older than most of the others back there, but I’ve only met one other Romaki, so I don’t have much to go on.”
“Vykor is young. Less than a hundred of your years.” They reached the elevator and he pressed the call button. “How old are you?”
“Normally I’d refuse to answer that question, but since I asked you first…” She shrugged. “I’ll be forty next month. Not young anymore.”
“You have lived long enough to attain experience and wisdom.” His golden eyes gleamed as he looked her over. “You should be proud of your age and all you have accomplished. Not every warrior lives as long as we have.”
There was something in his tone that made her ask another question before her brain could catch up to her mouth. “Who did you lose?”
His eyes darkened but he didn’t say anything until the elevator arrived. He gestured for her to go first, then joined her inside. When the door closed, he answered, his voice dull and flat. “A friend. She died fighting for the future of our planet. A future she will never get to see for herself.”
Megan reached up and set her hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
He looked down at her hand then covered it with his own for a moment. “Thank you.”
His gaze moved to her face, their eyes locking. She didn’t look away, and neither did he. Heart pounding. Mouth dry. She lifted her other hand to reach for him, then stopped. What the hell was she doing?
He caught her hand in his, drew her in close, and bowed his head to brush a slow kiss over her mouth. Heat flared deep inside her, and she rose on her toes to kiss him back. Karos uttered a low growl that turned her brain to mush and sent a rush of raw lust coursing through her veins.
For one searing moment she forgot about everything but him. All her fears, guilt, and worry vanished in a firestorm that reached her very soul. She drank in the essence of him. His warmth. His strength. The possessive slant of his mouth as it laid claim to hers. She breathed in his scent, a subtle blend of soap and something wilder, like the air after a storm.
The next thing she knew, the elevator stopped and the doors opened. They both stepped back at the same time, their hands releasing to fall back to their sides. Neither of them said a word as they exited the space, and the silence stretched between them as they walked the rest of the way to the outer doors.
As he opened the door he paused and looked back at her. “I should apolo—”
She cut him off with a slash of her hand. “Don’t you dare.”
“But…”
“It happened. I’m not sorry it did. Are you?” She watched and waited, her heart slamming against her ribs as she waited for him to make his choice. After that kiss, there was no going back for her. Crazy or not. She wanted more. But did he?
He frowned. His mouth opening and closing several times before he finally shook his head. “We don’t have time for this right now.”
“You kissed me. You don’t get to do that and then tell me we don’t have time to talk about it.”
That’s when she remembered they were meeting the security team outside. She looked past the door and saw six uniformed men staring at the two of them with expressions that ranged from bemusement to outright surprise. Wonderful.
Karos glanced outside, then back to her. “I do not regret kissing you. I do regret the timing.”
She considered that for a second. The timing sucked. No argument there. “Fair enough. First, we rescue our friends, and then you and I are going to revisit this conversation.”
“As you wish.”
Toran raised a brow at Karos as they stepped into the rain-soaked courtyard and said something in what she assumed was either Pyrosian or Romaki. She wasn’t fluent in either language, and she only heard one word clearly. Bakkia.
“Do I want to know what he said?” she asked Karos quietly as they joined the others. The rain had stopped, but the clouds overhead were still an ugly dark grey and the wind swirled around the courtyard, cold enough to make her shiver.
Toran’s eyes widened slightly. “I apologize. I thought all the humans working at the embassy had been given cognitive augmentation to allow them to speak our languages.”
“I’m not embassy staff.” She cocked her head. “So, what did you say?”
Grinning now, Toran nodded to Karos. “I said you were a bakkia. A lovely flower well protected by thorns.”
She borrowed one of Karos’ phrases. “It is not an inaccurate description.”
Karos chuckled. “Toran, this is Megan Richards. Megan, this is Guardsman Toran Kantos.”
Megan started to offer her hand to the big Pyrosian, but stopped when she noticed his eyes weren’t gold. Protocol dictated that unclaimed Pyrosians refrain from physical contact while on duty. No sudden onset of the Spark that way. She withdrew her hand, and Toran gave her a smile and an understanding nod.
“Where’s the package?” Karos asked.
Another Pyrosian appeared and handed it to Karos. “We scanned the contents and the container already. There’s nothing we can use to identify the ones who did this, sir.”
“What about tracing the call we’re about to make?” Megan asked.
Karos shook his head. “There’s not enough time to set it up. They’ll do what they can downstairs, and I’ll record everything so we can go over it later.” He checked the communicator o
n his wrist. “Less than two minutes left.”
“Then we better make the call.” She held out her hand. “May I? I’ve had some training in hostage negotiations.”
Karos only hesitated for a second before pulling the working phone out of the box and handing it to her.
“Thank you.” She activated the phone, set it to speaker mode so everyone could listen in, and dialled the number from memory. It was etched into her mind, and she’d probably go to her grave remembering every digit.
The ring tone sounded three times before someone answered. “You found our message.” A male voice. Steady. Confident. No accent. Not markedly young or old.
“I did. Who am I speaking to?” she asked, holding the phone so that her voice would carry clearly, but the others could hear what was being said.
“The man calling the shots. You must be Ms. Richards.”
“It is. Now you know my name. May I have yours?” It wasn’t easy to stay polite and calm. She wanted to tell him exactly what she planned on doing to him once he was caught. She wanted to scream, or demand he let her talk to Hanna and Lily. Instead, she gripped the phone tighter and kept talking.
“You don’t need to know my name. All you need to know is what I expect to happen. Have one of those alien freaks standing with you take notes, Ms. Richards. I won’t repeat myself.”
Karos and the others looked around, trying to spot whoever, or whatever was spying on them. She didn’t look up. She needed to stay focused. “I’m ready. What are your demands?”
“A trade. A life for a life. You release two prisoners to me, and I’ll release mine to you.”
“Unhurt?”
The speaker paused for several long, painful seconds. “That depends on you and the alien invaders.”
“I want to speak to Hanna Dewan.”
“We don’t always get what we want in life. I know I didn’t. If I had, my country, my world, wouldn’t be overrun with arrogant aliens who think they can take whatever they want. Our land. Our resources. Our women. It’s going to stop. We’re not going down without a fight. This is our world, and we’re taking it back.” There was no mistaking the sincerity of the man’s crazy. He believed the garbage he was spewing. He was a zealot. A true believer. And that made him all kinds of dangerous.
She glanced up at Karos and he met her gaze. Understanding passed between them. He flashed his fangs at her. It was a swift but ferocious expression that told her he knew what this man was. He knew, and he planned on taking him down anyway.
Good. So did she.
“What are the names of the prisoners you want released?” She already had a good idea who it was, and Satan would be ice skating to work before the leader of the Humanity First movement got to breathe free air again.
“Justin Kines and Remy Russell.” The man stated. “I know this will take some time. You have until noon tomorrow morning to arrange for their release. When everything is in order, call this number again and I’ll give you your next instructions.”
“Not until I know that all four hostages are alive.” She replied firmly.
“You are not controlling this narrative, Ms. Richards. Do as your told.”
“I need—” The line went dead. “Dammit.”
Karos tapped his wrist, reminding her that he’d been recording everything. “We need to get inside. I want to get a better look at the contents of the box.”
“So do I.”
Karos handed the active phone to Toran. “Take this downstairs. I’ve already sent a copy of the recording to them. I don’t think they’ll find anything, but we have to try. We will join you there shortly.”
The Pyrosian nodded once, turned on his heel, and jogged to the door. The rest of the team took up positions around her and Karos. It was the first time she’d been the protectee instead of the protector, and it felt more than a little strange.
They stayed with them until they reached the door, opening it for them and holding position until she and Karos were both safely inside.
“Do you have posts to report to?” Karos asked.
The males nodded.
“Then get to them. Good job.”
“Thank you,” she added as they separated and headed off in all directions.
Karos headed back the way they’d come, but she stopped him with a touch. “Before we go any farther, I need to see what’s in there.”
He hesitated, then handed her the box. “Be quick.”
She held the package in the crook of her arm and sorted carefully through the contents. She didn’t bother looking at the two alien devices. She had no way of knowing how they worked. The phones though… The phones had been destroyed. Screens cracked. Their casings broken. When she lifted one from the box a dribble of water flowed out of it, and a quick check confirmed they’d removed the sim cards, too. She found those in the bottom of the box, both of them snapped in two, along with something none of the others had noticed – A figure-eight shaped gold pendant that should have had a red gem set in the lower loop. The gem was gone. Her stomach twisted into a new set of knots as she plucked the pendant out and held it up for Karos to see.
“This is Hanna’s. There was a gem set into it. Inside the gem was a transponder.”
Karos frowned. “They took it out? How would they know to do that?”
She dropped the pendant back into the box and lowered her hand before he could notice the way it shook. “Either they checked her for bugs and found it that way, or…”
“Or someone told them what to look for,” he finished for her.
Doubts sank needle sharp into her guts and started pumping its poison into her, making her question everything. “I can’t believe that. The only ones that knew about the transponders were me, Hanna, and Lily.”
Karos searched the box. “You said she had a transponder too. A charm, right?” He asked without looking up.
She already knew what he saw. Lily’s transponder wasn’t there. She didn’t know what that meant. Not yet. But Kyle might not have been the only insider. “I’m going to need access to a computer for a few hours. There are a few details I need to check.”
He nodded and didn’t comment further. She was grateful for his silence.
“We shall bring it all to the command center and begin our investigation. While we do that, Keth can call the Canadian government and let them know what’s happened. We’re going to need their cooperation.”
“You think they’re going to agree to release Kines and Russell?” The idea sickened her, but so did the thought of never seeing her friends again.
“I think we need to be prepared for all possibilities.”
And with that, they set off down the hallway, Karos a silent, steady presence at her side.
Chapter Five
Karos knew he needed sleep in order to function at his best, but nothing he did brought him any respite. The rux made it impossible to think for long, but when he could, he tried to plan for every contingency he could think of. Then the mating fever would flare up again, and he’d be driven mad with lust and thoughts of Megan. There was no denying the truth anymore. He was under the thrall of the rux, and it was getting stronger with every breath he took. Only the fact he hadn’t claimed her allowed him to keep some semblance of control, but he was running out of time.
It had been well after midnight when he and Megan had parted company at her door. She’d spent much of the evening investigating anything that might indicate her friend had betrayed her. She hadn’t found anything, but he knew she still harboured concerns, along with a heavy dose of guilt for even considering that Lily was working for the Humanity First movement.
She had looked as tired and worried as he felt, and despite copious amounts of stimulant-laced beverages, she was swaying on her feet by the time they reached her room. It had taken all his will power not to lift her into his arms and carry her down the last stretch of hallway, and by the time he bade her goodnight, his hands itched with the need to touch her. To comfort her.
Tomorrow he would have to tell Keth what was going on so the Pyrosian could arrange for someone else to take over, should the need arise. Then, he would have to find a way to tell Megan she was his sadina, his mate. Somehow, he didn’t think she would be pleased to hear it. Not if it meant leaving the rescue of her friends to someone else. He knew exactly how she felt.
After more than an hour of trying to rest, he gave up the fight and got out of bed again. He dressed quickly, donning a pair of loose-fitting pants and a sleeveless shirt. His skin was so hot he couldn’t tolerate more clothing than that. He even left his shoes off and walked barefoot from his rooms down to the gymnasium and training area set up on one of the lower floors.
He had the place to himself and quickly settled into his usual routine, limbering up, and then taking out his frustrations on the heavy bag set up in one corner of the space. The familiar pattern of strikes, punches, and kicks helped clear his mind a bit, though it did little to ease his physical state. He was still overheating, and he stripped off his shirt, tossing it into a corner without losing the rhythm of his attacks.
He needed to find his focus, but the only clear thoughts he had were about Megan. Her smile. Her strength. The way her eyes shifted colours depending on the light. The way she’d tasted… Holy flames of Daga, just thinking about that one, too-brief kiss they’d shared was enough to set his blood on fire.
His next punch nearly tore through the heavy fabric bag. The support beam shuddered and groaned at the abuse, and he took a step back, lowering his hands and sucking in a deep breath. Destroying the equipment wouldn’t help matters.
The bag was still swinging wildly when the door slid open and someone else entered the gym. Her scent wrapped around him like a physical caress, and he knew without looking that Megan was there.