
Desperate Measures
Set in the same world as Between Two Tiron.
Raine's caught in an impossible situation. She needs to get to another planet to help her friend. Forced to take a temporary position on a Feiral trade ship, she's surrounded by trouble and shifters determined to build a clan. She has secrets to keep, but the gorgeous captain could be a problem. She has to distract him---and a few nights of hot sex might work.
Connal knows Raine is more than she appears. He looks forward to peeling away the layers of her deception as much as stripping the clothes from her beautiful body. The hunger between them deepens even as he struggles to get past her defenses before she leaves his ship.
When they're thrown together again, Raine's faced with a choice. Walk away from Connal and choose the life she knows, or take a chance and grab the passion and love that waits.
An Ellora's Cave Romantica Publication
Desperate Measures
ISBN 9781419931178
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Desperate Measures Copyright © 2010 Rebecca Airies
Edited by Helen Woodall
Cover art by Dar Albert
Electronic book publication November 2010
The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora's Cave Publishing.
With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.
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This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors' imagination and used fictitiously.
Desperate Measures
Rebecca Airies
To C--- Even through the most troubled times, you've inspired me with your strength. Thank you for being both a friend and a sister.
"This is insane," Deanne whispered in a low voice.
This hotel was a quiet place, if a little isolated on the edge of the city, which was the main reason they'd picked it. They'd gotten some food and brought it back to the room earlier and now they lounged around a white-topped, slightly wobbly table. Each of them had a drink in front of them and a bowl of fruit slices sat in the middle. Raine propped the blue slippers encasing her feet on the nearby lumpy bed and relaxed as much as possible. That wasn't very much under the circumstances. What they were thinking of doing made her nervous too, but they were out of options.
Raine knew it was crazy to be waiting patiently for a call from a Feiral captain, but she really couldn't see any other way. "Do you know of any ship in port, aside from the one we targeted, that would suit what we need?"
Hell, Raine didn't want to go anywhere near a ship full of Feiral. She ran a hand through her blonde hair instead of giving in to the impulse to rub her slightly damp palms on her dark blue pants. It wasn't as if their needs were all that easy to meet on short notice. She might be Feiral, but she never wanted to be part of a pack. She'd never been part of one and didn't trust them. Putting all the power in the hands of one man seemed utterly stupid. Especially in a time when they didn't need to band together for strength or protection.
Deanne shook her head. Raine took a deep breath. Nothing they said was going to change anything. They all knew there wasn't another option. They had looked hard, but their requirements limited the selection. They needed a relatively large ship and one that had female members of the crew. The female crew members part of that was relatively easy to find. It was the other parts of their requirements that gave them trouble. They also needed the ship to be going to Forunes and they needed to be hired on as part of the crew. This time they couldn't go as passengers.
"I know how you feel, Deanne, but we have to get to Forunes. Krissa's hurt and in danger. And we really need the opportunity to steal an identity for her." Raine looked at her friend. Deanne was usually immaculate and superbly put together. The fact that her light green and blue shirt was wrinkled and the dark green skirt looked like it had been slept in said a lot about how badly this bothered her.
Now they had to wait and see if any of them managed to land a position on the crew. She knew it wasn't one of the choicer positions because they'd only be needed for the journey there. That should lessen the number of applicants wanting the position, but there was no guarantee that any of them would be picked. The waiting was hard and she could only hope that at least two of them were hired.
It could be done with one, but two would be better. They needed to get to Forunes legitimately. It would make it harder for the people who'd targeted Krissa to track them when they left. Raine had no idea if the people were affiliated with any of the separatist hate groups off-world, or if they just didn't like shifters and other nonhumans to be there, but she suspected they would follow. The fake identities would help, but every bit of separation would be needed.
This little jaunt wasn't going to be easy even if they all managed to get hired. They'd had to rush everything because of the situation. They'd kept their first names the same for such a short jaunt and had created new identities. Raine knew they'd hold up to any scrutiny, but with such a hurry there was a chance one of them could make a mistake with what was supposed to be their life history.
"We could be discovered. You know the reputation of this man captaining the Raitan." Deanne fidgeted in her seat and bit her lip.
Raine knew the captain's reputation. He was notorious in shifter circles for taking any Feiral he found. She wasn't going to let that stop her. Krissa was in desperate need and in too much danger to wait for another position on a trade vessel that could be weeks away. If this position didn't come through, they'd have to go as passengers and just be extra careful on the way home.
"I'd walk into a den of Feiral naked if it meant saving Krissa, but thankfully that's not necessary." Raine drew in a deep breath.
Deanne wasn't the only one whose mind was looping the worst possible outcomes for this little jaunt. The thought of what they were planning to do scared Raine and her gut churned with worry. She knew the precautions would work. Even if they were close and sweaty with some of the Feiral, the others would never know what they were. The injections changed their chemistry enough that none of their kind would recognize them. They'd never seem fully human, but they'd be safe with the injections and a few other precautions such as the semi-permanent body paint that masked the spots down their spines. It would eventually come off, but not while they were with the Feiral.
"I can understand what she means. I'm nervous too," Nara admitted. Nara's flowing purple top fell off one shoulder as she reached for a slice of fruit.
"You haven't even tested everything together." Deanne leaned forward and looked at all of them as if she didn't understand them.
"Geez, Deanne, give it a rest. We're not happy about the risks, but it has to be done. And you know it will work. Obsessing isn't going to help." Gianna put a hand on the table and scowled at Deanne. "You know you can back out at any time."
"I'm not backing out. I just don't like the fact that we had to rush through the prep here. There's too much risk." Deanna glared at Gianna and her teeth bared in a snarl.
"There wasn't any way to predict that Krissa would get found by fanatics." Raine took Deanne's hand and squeezed. "We're going to have to take what chances we have."
It took longer than Raine expected to get responses to their applications, especially since the ship was due to leave in less than a day. Three of them were hired for the positions. Only Deanne didn't receive a confirmation. Raine could tell that it was a little bit of a relief to her, but it also made her nervous. Now Deanne would have to return home and wait. Raine knew that would probably be harder than anything they'd face getting to Krissa.
"Be careful going home. Don't leave any kind of trace to the false identity." Raine stood. She brushed at a wrinkle on her light blue shirt and walked over to put on her normal shoes. They'd have to leave for the space port almost immediately.
"I'll switch out when I get to another planet. You three watch your back. I'll be waiting when you return with Krissa." Deanne hugged the others.
Nara hefted her bag with one hand and braced the other palm on her hip. "I think it's going to feel longer to you than it will to us. We'll have things to keep us busy. You'll be waiting and wondering."
"I hate having to be left behind, but it was a possibility for all of us." Deanne licked her lips. "Get home safely. I don't want to have to try to free you from that Feiral captain."
"You won't have to. The plan to deal with him will work." Raine picked up her bag. "We'll see you in few weeks at most."
The plan was solid. She was certain of it. He would be curious. She knew it. They'd worked up a thorough background for themselves. It would hold up to any scrutiny the captain and his crew could put it under. It would also lead the other Feiral to believe that while they weren't human, they also weren't shifter. She didn't care what they thought as long as they didn't get close to the truth. They were ready. The histories were memorized and the precautions in place. They wouldn't be able to scent their mate if the man happened to be on that ship. The last thing they needed was to find a mate, especially one in a pack.
After a fast ride in a hover taxi, Nara, Gianna and Raine arrived at the trade port. They entered the port through the large gray metal and tinted glass customs building and were practically waved through the checkpoints to the huge fenced area behind it. Shuttles lined the black landing pad and they all looked so similar from the front. With rows and rows of shuttles, finding one among them seemed almost impossible. They had to ask where to find the shuttle from the Raitan. When they finally did find the right shuttle, a man waited near it and he didn't look like he was the most patient of men.
"I'm Rennick Marsac, second in command of the Raitan. I need your names so I can verify that you're the women who were hired. Please show me your ID." The dark-haired man stood stiffly next to the black-and-white shuttle. His light gold eyes were narrowed and his lips turned down into a scowl. The crisp white shirt he wore did nothing to hide his broad shoulders, and pants as tight as his dark blue ones should restrict movement, but she doubted they did.
Raine bit back a grin at the demands. She didn't doubt that he expected and was accustomed to full cooperation. Raine fished her ID out of her bag. She held it out and waited to see if he'd take the step forward to get it. He looked at her and raised a brow.
"You'll have to step closer." He held out his hand and remained unmoving.
She moved forward and handed over her identification chip. "I'm Raine Iallat."
The Raine part was true. Since this was going to be such a short stint under a different name, keeping part of it close to reality was important. They didn't have time to get accustomed to responding to a fake name. Iallat wasn't even close to her real last name, but it was a play on her second name Talia. Raine was certain she could answer to it on the short haul to Forunes.
He looked at the info on the small screen of the handheld comp. "Where are you from?"
"Jovala. It's a planet in the Dr---" She blinked when he shook his head firmly and cut her off.
"I know where it is." Commander Marsac slanted a glance over at her. "Most people don't sign on for one-way tours. Care to explain why you're doing it?"
"I have a friend on Forunes who's with one of the trade ships. She's going to get us a position." Raine knew this could be a tricky point, but hiding their friendship and being discovered later would draw more questions.
"You know each other?" Commander Marsac looked from Raine to Nara and Gianna.
"Yes, we grew up in the same district and became friends in academy." Raine smiled. They'd known each other since they were cubs, but it was their standard answer when going in as acquaintances.
The commander nodded and handed her back her chip. Raine stepped back and watched as Nara stepped forward. The short woman grinned. The man's eyes slid down her body and locked on Nara's breasts highlighted by the very feminine shirt. Raine wasn't surprised. There were very few men who didn't react that way to Nara's curvy beauty.
"Your name?" the commander asked. His voice sounded like a croak.
"Nara Lions." Nara cocked a hand on her hip after giving him her chip.
"What district did you grow up in?" Rennick looked back at the computer screen, but his eyes returned to Nara in moments.
"Milarn. I really loved living there. It was so active. There was always something to do." Nara's voice faded off as if she was remembering some really happy memories.
"Now I need your identification." The commander looked over at Gianna who was waiting.
"Gianna Valent." Gianna handed the documentation to the commander and stepped back. Her coral shirt and white pants really stood out against the dark landing pad and dull gray of the shuttles.
It didn't take long to finish with his verification. Raine was almost certain that he was completely satisfied with their stories. She doubted he'd bother to do a deep search, but even if he did they should be safe. The identities would hold under any search he performed. She'd just rest easier if he left things here. After Krissa was safe and they were away from the area, the false names and histories would disappear from all records.
They were on their way up to the Raitan in a short time. Nervousness curled in Raine's belly. They were going up to a ship filled with Feiral and a captain notorious for grabbing any Feiral who came near him. She sat in her seat near the back of the shuttle and gripped the arms of it. It was the definition of hostile territory. She wanted to run out just before the hatch closed, but didn't. The thought of Krissa, alone and in danger, kept her in her seat in spite of her fear of the situation. She'd do whatever it took to get there.
The trading ship Raitan was spacious. Of course, since it was a trading ship, it had a huge cargo bay, most of which was filled with large silver containers. The containers were stacked high along two walls and in precise rows across the floor. After only a glimpse around there, they were escorted to the lift and rode it to the personnel level to the quarters they'd share for the ten-day journey to Forunes.
It was a utilitarian room with four slim beds anchored to the floor, a rather small closet and small dark gray cabinets with deep drawers. The creamy white color of the walls did surprise Raine. Gray was the standard on ships. It did reinforce her research about the captain and crew. They were successful and had money. She'd bet the permanent crew had personalized their rooms even more.
Raine unpacked her clothes, taking them out of her bag and placing them in the drawer. She'd just finished when a tone sounded. Gianna went to answer it. A blond man stood outside the door. He looked at the women in the room and the open bags on the bed.
"I'm here to give Nara Lions a tour of the ship. There will be a man here to give the other two of you a tour shortly." The big blond man stepped back although his eyes swept over Gianna's lithe body more than once.
Nara stepped forward with a smile and a greeting. He moved away from the door. She walked out and then the panel shut behind them. As soon as it closed, Raine reached for her makeup case. These men were far more suspicious than she'd expected unless she was being too paranoid. But she wanted to know if they were going to search and how thorough they were if they did.
"I've got the gossamer string." Gianna rushed over to Raine's side.
It didn't surprise Raine that Gianna knew what she was thinking. They'd worked together enough that sometimes they almost read each other's mind. Gianna handed Raine a fine fiber. She draped it over the seal of her bag, rubbing the edges of the thread to fix it in place. They placed the tiny strings on all the bags and drawers. Once in place, they were invisible to the naked eye. Giana concealed the gossamer threads in the tines of a hair brush. It was the one place little strands of hair-like threads would be expected and most likely overlooked. When they came back, they'd have some answers. Raine hoped she was being too suspicious. They'd know if the bags were opened and if they had it was probably going to be a long trip. Just as they took a last look around the room, the tone sounded again.
\*
"Their stories seem to check out and they say all the right things, but something's nagging at me. It's not just that they're not human." Rennick leaned back in the muted green chair at the end of the black table. His fingers drummed on the tabletop.
Connal looked at his second in command. He could tell the man was agitated. He trusted Rennick's instincts. If Rennick felt that there was something more than the obvious verifiable story to these women, then there was. Connal didn't doubt it. He had only seen the women on the monitor and they'd seemed too calm and too focused. That reaction had fostered the feeling that there was something not quite right about them. Maybe it was a bit of the famed Feiral intuition, but he knew they were hiding something.
"We'll watch them closely, but let's see if we can narrow down what they're looking for. What about their scent?" Connal stared beyond his friend at the tan wall, but he didn't really see it. Those women were hiding something.
"Nothing. They don't smell like anything. Not the Anjuri, Corlan or shifters from the area they claim. The scent is muddy unrecognizable." Rennick grimaced. "I've never smelled anything like it. I thought maybe they were of Dain descent, but the scent's wrong there too."
"That's sign number one and there will probably be more that they need watching." Connal wondered what the women were doing on his ship. "We'll know more after their room is searched."
"Do you think they knew what we are before they applied for the positions?" Rennick asked.
"Who knows? They definitely do now and they came up to the ship with you. Either they're running from something, have a secret of their own or they just wanted to get to Forunes as they said." Connal drummed his fingers on the table.
That question had occurred to him. If they had known before they met Rennick, they had to have been either desperate for transport off the planet or they were focused on a mission. He wanted to know which. Had the women been sent to spy or possibly even attempt to kill one of them? He hoped for some answers from the search of their belongings.
A tone sounded at the door. Rennick rose and opened it. The men who had been sent to search the women's room waited there. Rennick stepped back and allowed them to enter. Connal waited patiently as the two men walked over to stand in front of the large table.
"What did you find?" Connal eyed Dale and Hart. The blond men stood side by side with their hands hanging loosely.
"Nothing that shouldn't be there. They don't even have a stunner with them." Dale looked a little surprised by that last part.
"What do they have?" Connal sat forward. Almost everyone carried some form of protection. It was almost universally accepted practice. He'd expected some kind of defensive weapon. They seemed determined to draw as little notice as possible.
"Clothes, the usual female goops, powders and scents, brushes and a few handheld devices. Nothing suspicious on them." Hart's hand lifted, palm up, and he exhaled. "No bugs, nothing."
Connal's brow furrowed. No contraband of any kind. They were just too clean to be believed. He hadn't met a woman who didn't carry some kind of protection even if it was a small knife. They'd wanted to seem normal and unremarkable, but they'd failed. "You can go."
Connal was distracted by what he'd just learned. The women definitely merited a much closer look. If they were hiding something, they'd show their hand eventually. He didn't care what they were doing as long as they didn't endanger his crew. Until he knew what their secret was, he'd have them under close observation.
"Do you have a plan?" Rennick asked, returning to sit at the table as soon as the other two men left.
"We'll see if any of the men find the women attractive. I'd prefer the upper level single men to try first," Connal said.
A lot of the lower level crewmen were young and vastly inexperienced. The experienced men were delivering some goods on one of his other ships, Orclan. Some of that crew had been badly injured in an accident, leaving the ship understaffed and without solid leadership. When the men were healthy again, the men from the Raitan's crew would return and the balance would be restored.
"I'll inform the appropriate men and they'll find a way to be near the women. I'll make a point of it too." Rennick nodded.
"I'm not going to shirk the duty either. Although they may wonder why, they won't find themselves short of company on this trip." Connal smiled. He was happy for the shortage that had required them to take on extra crew. The mystery they were providing was a welcome change from what had been a rather monotonous trip.
Raine sat at a small round table with Gianna in the crew's galley. It was actually nicer than she expected. The tables and tiles gleamed and the food was actually edible. The walls and the floors were a light blue and the tables a stark white. The food also wasn't the machine prepared, preportioned slop she'd expected. It was actually prepared by a cook and was good.
That was about the only positive she could think of in this entire situation. She was feeling more caged than ever. She'd seen more men today than she'd seen in weeks. It wasn't just passing them in the hallway that made her feel so nervous. The older, more experienced men in the crew seemed absolutely determined to talk and be near them. Her tension had very seldom been higher and she wanted to scream.
They hadn't dressed to attract any of the men. In fact, they'd wanted to keep their appearance almost neutral for a while so that the men wouldn't be too attentive. She'd dressed in black pants and a short-sleeved black shirt. With her build, it shouldn't have attracted too many stares. Gianna's clothes weren't that different from hers and definitely not the stare-invoking type of style. Gianna wore a light green pullover shirt and gray pants. Neither outfit was tight or revealing.
She didn't have any doubt that something had gone wrong. The men had to suspect that part of their story was a lie. It was the only reason she could think of for this flood of male attention, but she had no idea what had given them the slightest hint there was anything off about their story. She'd gone over it again and again in her head, but nothing was obviously wrong. Everything should be proceeding perfectly. They hadn't done anything to draw attention to themselves, but it seemed like every male on the ship was interested in them.
Raine didn't think it would be half this bad if some of the men had been the younger men she'd seen on the ship. Those pups she could handle easily, but they hadn't even tried to approach the women for anything but work-related issues. The more experienced men seemed to be circling. It was absolutely the worst situation. These older men definitely wouldn't be led. They'd be searching for any mistakes. Hell, she'd bet every one of them had read their applications and false history. By the end of the journey, the men would probably know it as well as they did.
"Don't look now. We're going to have more visitors." Gianna leaned forward but kept her voice low.
Raine heaved a long sigh. They'd just gotten rid of a group of males. She was tempted to drop her head to the table. They were here to eat, but they hadn't even gotten halfway through the food on their plates. They kept getting interrupted by men wanting to talk. She took a bite of her food. It was going cold, but she kept eating. It was something to use to deter the men from lingering. Well, at least most of them. Their meals had cooled to this point because of a few chatty men who'd brought up a few facts and questions about Jovala. Raine and Gianna handled the questions, but their nerves were stretched taut.
"Are you enjoying your trip so far?" The deep voice sounded from just behind her.
Raine turned in her seat to look at the man. The second in command Rennick and a tall, muscled redhead stood there waiting. The redhead's face was lean and he had a cunning look. He wasn't traditionally handsome, but there was something that drew her eyes to him.
She didn't doubt for a moment that he would be a formidable opponent. Who was he? She knew she hadn't met him before. There was no way she would have forgotten someone like him. Just looking at him, her stomach tightened and it wasn't all nervousness. Letting her eyes skim over his wide shoulders encased in a long-sleeved, dark blue shirt and the black pants he wore, she tried to keep her gaze uninterested and brief. She knew she didn't quite succeed. Normally, she liked men with dark hair and darker skin, but there was something about him that made her want to know more. It was a particularly insane impulse under the circumstances. She needed to keep her distance from him.
"We're having a good time. The work's not too difficult and the people seem friendly. I'm Raine." Raine smiled up at the man. She wasn't going for open or innocent. She couldn't do innocent very well on a good day, but she hoped she managed curious.
"Connal Drevan, the captain of the Raitan," he said easily.
At first, she wasn't sure how to react and from the silence across the table, Gianna was just as lost. Stunned horror definitely wouldn't do even if it was the truth. The Natahl, the leader, of this clan stood right there and she knew the rumors about him were true. He did catch any Feiral who crossed his path. Raine decided that insecurity might be the best route to take and it was the only option she had.
"Am I supposed to salute? Do you do that here?" She fought the urge to rub her palm on a napkin or something. She just hoped she didn't drop her fork or something else that would show how nervous she was.
"No, we don't salute. This isn't the military." Connal smiled widely. "Do you mind if we sit down with you?"
Raine nearly choked on the bite of food she'd just put in her mouth. She'd hoped he'd go away quickly after the introduction. Apparently, this was going to be an in-depth questioning, not just an outwardly social stop. She really hadn't expected anything this obvious. Why were they so suspicious? She mentally shook off the questions. There was no way to answer them and sitting here wasn't doing anything to soothe those doubts. Only an open, friendly attitude would help.
"Take a seat. We're more than happy to talk with you. I hope you don't mind if we ask you a few questions." She gave him a small grin.
She wasn't going to ask anything in-depth. She thought a little curiosity would seem normal. With their fake backgrounds, they were supposed to be familiar with larger ships and this jaunt on a smaller ship with hundreds not thousands of people aboard would be new to them. She was all too aware that she had to be careful. He would try to use the Feiral mental ability to draw the truth out of her. Knowing he would do it gave her an edge that she needed to use.
"Of course," the captain said as he took the seat to her right and the second in command took the seat to the left.
Considering the table wasn't that large, it felt a little crowded now. She knew that was part of the captain's tactics. He'd want them aware of him, even a little uncomfortable. It was partly the shifter instincts in him, but probably more of it was because there was a lot of dominant male in him. If she read him right, he wouldn't push it too far. He wouldn't give them anything to actually accuse him of. He simply wanted them off balance and too unnerved to guard their words.
"I noticed your last position was on the Venonus. That's a huge ship. What are your plans after you get to Forunes?" Connal leaned back in his chair. A crewman brought him a plate of food, but he made no move to eat.
"Actually, it was Varcani, but yes, it was a large ship. We've got a friend who can get us a position on one of the lines out of Forunes." Raine tried to appear relaxed and calm. She idly twirled her fork in a pasta dish. The man was good, that little name change had been something she hadn't expected just yet.
"Do you mind if I ask why you left the Varcani?" Connal took a long drink from the cup in front of him.
Raine took a bite of her food as he asked. She chewed, but she didn't look away from him. "It was some personal differences with a few other crew members. They had seniority and more friends with rank. Since the differences didn't seem solvable, we left."
"So you feel leaving was your only option?" Rennick asked.
"We asked for transfers after we stopped trying to resolve the situation, but it would have been over a year before they could do that. We took the other choice." Gianne shrugged. "There wasn't an ideal solution. We had friends there, but the situation was beginning to affect our work life."
"Leaving the position before the voyage was complete seemed like a better option than getting dismissed if things became really bad." Raine grimaced. She'd actually been in a situation like that before so the choices to be made were familiar as was the sense of isolation and helplessness.
"Do you keep in contact with any of your friends from the Varcani?" Connal's fork clinked against the plate as he lightly placed the utensil and reached for his cup.
"We did for a while, but haven't had a reply from them in the last week or so." Gianna's fork waved in the air.
"They may be out of reach of the common relay boosters. Eventually, they'll get the messages and reply." Raine ran her fingers over the rim of her glass and grimaced. "I'm a little anxious, but I know they're all right."
"What are you two doing here?" His voice smoothed and his eyes bored into hers.
She felt the push, but before she could begin to resist, a slight dizziness washed over her. The soft lapping of waves seemed to fill her ears. She could almost smell the sea and the tang of a nearby forest. A hazy picture of a beach and an ocean shimmered in front of her eyes. Resolutely she focused on the Natahl's eyes, using that to anchor her to reality.
"We took a position on your ship so that we could get to Forunes and the jobs waiting for us." It wasn't easy to get the lie out as smoothly as it needed to be especially when that psychic push was urging her to tell the truth.
Inside she was almost panicked. What was that? She'd felt the push of a suggestion from another Feiral before. What that man had done wasn't even close to what it should feel like. She'd almost been swamped by the urge to answer him. The only thing that seemed vaguely comparable was some kind of wordless hypnosis. She'd never even heard of a Feiral being able to do anything like that. A mild suggestion, that was the norm and the smells, the sounds and that image that had flashed in front of her, she had no way to explain those. That wasn't normal.
The captain's eyes drifted over Raine's face before dropping to her chest. She kept her eyes firmly above his broad chest. She didn't want to let him know that she found him attractive. She knew some man would probably be assigned to try to get close to her. It would be easier to keep control if it wasn't someone who attracted her as much as this man did. Control was absolutely necessary. There would be other questions at relaxed moments and then would be the chance to make a real mistake that could get them caught before they neared Forunes.
"How long have you been a captain?" Raine lifted her glass, but just held it. She hadn't eaten much, but she hoped they didn't notice. Her appetite had disappeared.
"About fifteen years or so." Connal smiled and forked up some of the vegetables on his plate.
"You've been with the same company for all that time?" Raine tilted her head. She could have made some sickening sweet comment or tossed in a bit of cooing admiration, but it wouldn't have rung true with the little the men knew of her.
She saw Connal's eyes narrow a little. She wished she knew just what he was thinking. This was a dangerous game she played, but she had no other choice. She had to get to Forunes without drawing any attention to their presence. That didn't mean she was going to sleep very well on the journey there. Especially not with the amount of attention they'd drawn.
"Yes, I've been with the same company the entire time." Connal's eyes swept over her face.
She noticed the stress on "company", but acted as if she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. The research they'd done had been quick, but she knew the company was only a public shell for the Feiral clan he was building.
"Have you two been friends for long?" Gianna asked.
Rennick nodded. "Longer than he's been a captain."
Raine's eyes fell to Connal's lips as she tried to think of another question. The flesh gleamed wetly as if he'd just taken a drink. The thought of what they'd feel like in a kiss popped into her head. She tried to push the image away, but her mind suddenly seemed fixated on that sensual slash of his lips and his hard body. Her hands itched to touch him, but she took a deep breath and reminded herself of what was at stake.
"Do you like what you do? Captaining a trade vessel? You're always moving. Don't you see the same ports, the same people? Doesn't it get boring running the same trade routes again and again?" Raine firmly focused on the conversation. She couldn't think like that.
"The people aren't always the same. It's not the excitement that draws me." He smiled. "There's monotony in almost every job. If it's not the same places, it's months without seeing any sign of life or a long slow trek to one of the boundary outposts."
Luckily, it wasn't long after that that Raine and Gianna were able to excuse themselves. They went back to their cabin. Raine dropped onto her bed and rubbed at her temples. She had a raging headache. These meetings weren't going to get any easier. The men wouldn't back off just because they hadn't received a simple, quick answer.
"He's going to come after you, you know," Gianna said.
Raine lifted her head and frowned. The comment seemed to come out of nowhere. "Who?"
"The captain. He'll pursue you. He could barely take his eyes off you and your reactions weren't much different." Gianna sprawled on the bed with her head cradled on her arm.
"He was trying to find out if we were a danger to his ship. For some reason, they aren't buying the story." Raine stood and began to pace. There was no real way to assure the men they weren't threats. "And we've got a problem. That question about what we were doing on the ship had a push and it wasn't normal. I've never felt anything like it. I could smell the tang of a forest and hear waves. For a moment, I thought that I saw an ocean. The need to answer truthfully nearly overtook me."
"Damn, we'll have to be careful and hope the others can't do that, but you're not going to sidestep the issue. He wanted to find out what you look like without your clothes on and he'll be back to make a one-on-one contact with you." Gianna smiled.
Raine didn't see what was so funny. Gianna was right. There was no use denying it. The captain was on the hunt. Raine had to figure out how she was going to handle him. The attraction was mutual, but the risk of discovery wasn't going to fade. She could slip and say something revealing around him if she wasn't extremely careful. If she didn't know they doubted the story, she wouldn't have had any hesitation about jumping him and enjoying every moment of it.
It wasn't that she thought they'd get hot and sweaty and he'd be able to smell or see that she was a shifter. Their scent had been masked and the body paint wouldn't come off even if she stayed in water for the entire journey to Forunes. He wouldn't be able to tell physically that she was Feiral, but she'd always have to be careful of what she said and did when she was with him.
The only problem with not having sex with him or any other member of the crew was that it would focus attention on them. Short liaisons were the norm on trade and commercial ships. No emotions involved, no regrets at the end of the tour. Falling too easily in bed with him would be just as bad. He'd probably think she wanted to pump him for information when she got him nice and relaxed. She didn't see any way to make this trip easier. They'd be watched and studied the entire journey. She hated feeling hunted and cornered. At the moment, she couldn't think of any plan to turn this situation to her advantage, but was confident she'd eventually find a way.
Connal watched Raine walking to the gym section of the ship on a monitor. Today, he really enjoyed watching her. Her tight red top bared a little of her midriff and showed the curve of her breasts to great advantage. As for those shorts, the way they clung to her butt and thighs only made him want to peel them off her.
The security cameras enabled them to track the women without unduly alerting them. They knew everything the women were doing on the ship with the exception of the time they spent in their quarters. As a Feiral, he had a respect for privacy. If the searches had turned up any weapons or anything at all, he wouldn't have a qualm about doing it. But there wasn't a reason to go that far yet.
The women had shown little interest in the ship or what the people aboard did beyond the details necessary for them to complete their duties. It was as if the women were going out of their way to prove they were no threat to the people on the ship. He was beginning to believe that whatever they were doing, it had nothing to do with the Raitan, but his curiosity had been stirred.
The women were hiding something. They didn't want to draw the attention of anyone and had tried from the first to prevent it. What secret did the women hold that they felt the need to hide their differences even from a people they knew weren't human? The women knew they were dealing with shifters. Connal felt confident about that assumption. They'd probably known before they'd stepped onto the ship and begun the journey.
That left him and his men days to find out what they were hiding. The way Raine had shaken off his attempt to mesmerize her had given him his first clue. There weren't that many groups who could do that and the two peoples in the region she claimed as home weren't on the list. He rose to his feet. It was time for a little exercise and another go at Raine's defenses. He relished the challenge she gave him.
\*
Raine stepped into the large, empty, rectangular gray room with a bright yellow ball in her hand. The rec area was the only part of the ship that actually looked like it hadn't been redesigned too much during the modification, with the exception of some high-end equipment. She could have been climbing or working out on some of the gym equipment, but she didn't want to talk. She knew that if she stayed in the public rooms someone would come up and want to make conversation or, even worse, Connal would show up.
The man seemed to pop up wherever she was and he'd begun actively making her aware of him. Touching would come next. It wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't so attracted to him. Her heart began beating faster simply at the thought of him, but fear wasn't behind the acceleration. She wanted him so badly it scared her. The feeling was too intense and they hadn't touched. She didn't understand it.
Groaning, she resolutely thrust thoughts of the captain out of her mind. She threw the ball against the far wall and ran to intercept it just after the first bounce. She'd begun to get into a rhythm when the door behind her opened. She caught the ball and turned to see who'd decided to interrupt her this time, although she had a good idea who it was. Her skin tingled with excitement and awareness. Only one man caused that sensation.
Connal stood there wearing a too-innocent smile on his face. Her eyes ran over his mussed hair. To get her mind off going over there and smoothing it back into place, she lowered her gaze to what he was wearing and nearly groaned. His skin-tight, sleeveless blue and yellow shirt emphasized the breadth of his chest and the muscles in his arms. The snug, black shorts at his hips left little to her imagination and ended just above the knee. He wasn't making it easy to resist temptation.
"Would you mind a partner? I need to get some exercise too." He stood in the doorway as if he really had doubts about her answer.
She was certain he knew she'd say yes. Raine fumed. She suspected the jerk knew she didn't want to draw any attention to herself and was blatantly using that against her. She'd have loved to have an excuse, any excuse, to walk right out that door, but thinking about Krissa and the danger she was facing focused Raine's thoughts. For Krissa, she'd endure these exchanges with the captain and try to get out of here without getting into deeper trouble.
"Sure." She smiled and bounced the ball on the floor. If she was lucky, she could "accidentally" hit him a time or two with it.
He took a position behind and to the right of her. She smelled a light spicy scent, but couldn't identify it. That didn't surprise her. Her sense of smell as well as taste was a little off because of the drug she was using to mask her scent and prevent her from finding her mate while on this jaunt.
When he was set, she threw the ball as hard as she could. As it hit the wall, she dropped back. She saw Connal run forward. He caught the ball and threw it almost in the same motion. Mentally, she couldn't help admire the lithe grace of his body, but she didn't have time to think about it. She ran forward to take her turn.
She caught and lobbed the sphere at a sharp angle so that it hit the back wall and careened off the side wall. He cursed beneath his breath and dashed for it, catching it just before it hit the back wall again. She smiled and ran to get it when he hurled it. She lost track of time as they played, intent only on the game. He tossed the ball at a low, wicked angle and she ran for it. She was so intent on getting to the ball before it hit the back wall that she didn't notice him in front of her until she hit his chest.
Air exploded from her and she grabbed his shirt. The world seemed to tilt and she realized they were falling only a breath before they hit the floor. Slamming against his chest again didn't help her get her breath back. Her chest felt tight and she was acutely aware of her body pressing against his. His arms had locked around her, holding her tight to him, probably to prevent her from being hurt during the fall, but he hadn't released her. She pushed against his chest, trying to put a little distance between them. It only pressed her hips more firmly against his. She was too damn aware of the way his cock pressed against her stomach and how hard that part of him felt. She wanted to grind against him and forget about all the reasons why she should keep her distance.
"Sorry about not moving out of your way." He brushed a hand over her hair. "Are you all right?"
"I should probably be asking you that question. I ran into you and I don't think you had much of a chance to shield yourself from that landing. Are you hurt?" She looked up at him. His lips were tilted up into a friendly smile and she didn't see any sign of pain on his face.
His leg moved a little and one of her legs fell between his. She hadn't thought it would be possible without removing a few clothes, but the situation became more intimate. Her pussy was pressed against his muscular leg and his hand slid down to her buttocks. His fingers molded over the curve and it was all she could do to stop herself from rocking her hips forward. She swallowed heavily. Damn, this had to stop now.
"I'm good. You didn't hurt me. You feel wonderful." He drew in a deep breath. "Although this wasn't how I envisioned learning that."
"Um, thanks. How about we get up, before this gets too... We have a game to finish." She bit her lip. She hadn't intended to say anything about it getting too involved or too hard to resist. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out what she'd meant. The captain was far from dense. He'd know what she meant.
"I think you owe me a forfeit for nearly taking me out. You could have hurt me and I wouldn't be able to complete my duties." His lips straightened and he looked utterly serious.
"I could have just as easily been hurt and you were the one who didn't get out of the way like you were supposed to." She raised an eyebrow, trying to resist the urge to grin at the blatant flirting.
"According to some you should have been watching out for the other player as well as where the ball is going." His hand tightened and the leg between her thighs lifted, pressing against her more firmly.
His muscled leg pressed too close to her aching clit. She longed to grind down on the thick column to get the pressure she needed, but forced herself to remain still. How in hell could he tempt her so much without really caressing her? If she stayed on top of him for too much longer, he wouldn't be left in any doubt of her interest in him. Her juices would soak right through her shorts and probably through his.
"They'd be wrong, but let's say I pay this forfeit. What would it be?" She tilted her head and waited for him to answer. She really expected him to ask her to join him for dinner. That was something that would allow him to get closer to her, but still not be too threatening.
"I want a kiss. If you kiss me, I'll release you and we can go back to the game." His eyes locked on her lips.
She had to fight hard not to slick her tongue over her lips. Damn, that was a step she hadn't thought he'd take this quickly. But it was just a kiss, she reasoned. She could control it, keep it light and friendly. Maybe it would even dissuade his pursuit. If he thought there was no chemistry between them, he might back away from her and let one of the other men approach her. That could only work to the better for her. None of them drew her as much as he did. She couldn't stop thinking about what it would feel like to fuck him anytime she was near him. That was supremely bad, because she needed to remember the mission and what was at stake at all times.
"Okay, a kiss, but once I kiss you, you have to let me go. I'm two points away from beating you." She planted a hand on his chest. She pressed up enough to let him know that she was serious.
"One kiss and I'll let you go." He seemed smug now that he had her agreement.
She didn't know if a kiss was all he wanted. Maybe he just wanted to see if they were compatible or to see if it was more than curiosity and surface attraction. She couldn't control his reaction, but she could do her best to keep the kiss short and cool. And then get off him.
She took a deep breath. She brushed her lips lightly over his, determined to make it as impersonal as she possibly could. He didn't make a move, leaving her to kiss him. She knew a buss on the lips wasn't what he meant and he'd call her on it if she tried to keep it that short. She lapped at his lips until he opened them for her. His lack of reaction challenged her. She wanted him to at least respond to her before she pulled back from the kiss. She stroked her tongue against his. His hand laced through her hair. He tasted so good, she wanted to taste more and especially to see more. His tongue brushed against hers and he sucked at her tongue as if trying to draw her into him. The hand at her butt tightened, pulling her against him. The pressure of his thigh pushing against her pussy nearly made her moan. It felt too good. A low growl rumbled from him. She felt it through her entire body and it sent a thrill of excitement through her. She'd never had a shifter lover and the primal sounds of appreciation shot through her, inciting a deep need to respond.
She tore her mouth free from his. Her breath came in harsh pants. That hadn't gone as planned. There had been nothing light or impersonal about that. Kissing had been a mistake. She'd thought to dissuade him from pursuing her, but she'd proven something entirely different to herself. She wasn't going to be able to stay away from him even for the few days of the transit to Forunes. What in hell was she going to do? The pull to him became worse every time she saw him. It was the most intense attraction she'd ever felt to a man. She felt so out of control it scared her.
She exhaled slowly, trying to slow her breathing and her racing heart. It was time to get up and put some distance between them. She should be able think a little better without his hard body so temptingly close.
"Time to let me go. I paid your forfeit." She tried for a relaxed smile but could feel the tremble in her lips.
"Yes, you did." His hand slipped free of her hair and the other slid off her buttocks. "I almost wish you'd negotiated for some other payment. I don't want to lose the feel of you against me."
She rose to her feet and stepped away from him. "Now, we need to get back to playing. I was only two points away from beating you."
"It was three points. That last point doesn't count as yours. If anything, it would be mine, because you did miss it." He frowned.
"You interfered with the play. Where I play, that's automatic loss of point." She knew that wasn't technically correct, but it kept him from any more personal conversation at the moment.
"Then you play by the wrong rules. In non-competitive matches like ours, it's standard to replay the point. In the competitive, it's your loss of point. So it's a redo. I can go find some rules if you want to argue the point." He lifted a brow and waited utterly relaxed for her to either argue or agree with him.
She sighed as if she was granting him a huge concession. "All right, we replay the point."
"Good. Let's get to it. I believe it was my throw." He walked over and grabbed the ball off the floor.
She waited for him to throw the ball and dived for it when it hit the wall and seemed to hug the ground. That was just one of the difficult plays he had in store for her. She barely got that ball, but he won that point and the next three, pulling even with her. She didn't know if he'd been holding back, trying to lure her into a false sense of security, but his play had improved dramatically. They remained tied, trading points. The game continued because the winner had to be two points ahead. He went one point ahead of her on her throw and he tossed a ball that hit low on the wall. She rushed forward and managed to get it and slam it into the wall, but she couldn't get the next ball when he threw it with a soft touch into the opposite corner. She gritted her teeth, but then smiled. She didn't like losing, but it had been a good game.
"That was one of the best games I've had in about a year. Thank you." She picked up the ball and bounced it.
"You're good. Why don't you have a meal with me and we can talk." He strolled over to her and looked down at her.
His voice was smooth and conversational, but the intensity in his eyes belied the relaxed words. The invitation came as a surprise. She really hadn't expected that and she knew she should have. He would want a chance to lure her into trusting him. Luckily she had an excuse to put him off for at least one meal, but she wasn't going to forget her new tactic to limit and control the time they had together.
"I can't. I've already made plans with my friend, but I'd like to have dinner with you if you don't mind waiting." She bit her lip. If he agreed, she'd eat with him, but not much else. There wouldn't be time. She went on duty not too long after that.
"I'll arrange it. I'll expect you at my quarters just before the meal. I have to get cleaned up myself. I'm due on deck soon." He touched her cheek lightly. "I look forward to playing with you again."
Her mouth dropped open and he left before she could force it to close again. Damn, the man was dangerous. In his quarters. When had she agreed to that? She may not have specified a location, but she'd expected to eat in the dining area surrounded by other people. He had to know that that was what she'd thought. The man wasn't stupid. She'd never have agreed if he'd said they'd be eating alone in his room. She wanted to run after him and tell him she'd forgotten some plan, but she couldn't back out now short of an injury. That wouldn't happen. She wasn't that lucky.
Connal smiled as he remembered the look on her face just before he'd walked out of the room. It had been priceless and he'd had a hard time resisting the urge to laugh. He couldn't remember ever seeing such blatant horror on a person's face. He didn't feel at all guilty for causing it. She was playing the game as much as he was. One check of the duty log when he'd returned to his quarters had been all it took to explain why she wanted to eat the later meal with him. She was banking on there not being time for anything to happen between them. He was going to do his best to prove her wrong.
Raine wanted control and he'd give her the illusion of it. He had to make her as comfortable as possible to get the answers he needed out of her. She wasn't going to just blurt them out accidentally. This wasn't her first time playing. Maybe he could use her attraction to him to his advantage, but he wasn't going to underestimate his own desire for her. Not after the way they'd practically burned each other up on the ball court. He finished setting the table and opened a chilled bottle of wine to let it breathe. The food was waiting on a warmer plate. Everything was ready. He hadn't gone so far as to turn down the lights or put on soft music, but he'd wanted to make sure everything was as intimate as possible.
He couldn't remember when he'd been this drawn to a woman. He wondered if it was just the challenge she offered that drew him. She was sexy, but he could think of at least three other women on the ship who were just as attractive. Still, he hadn't been even tempted to pursue either one of her friends. She'd been the only one who fascinated him even before she'd resisted the small push he'd given her.
What species was she that she could do that? He was determined to find out her secrets before they reached Forunes and the women left the ship. He had a feeling they'd disappear like the wind once they were on the planet.
The buzzer for his door sounded. He walked over to open it and glanced around the room with its pale green walls one more time to ensure he'd remembered everything. It was probably Raine. He'd told his men not to disturb him unless it was an emergency, but he wanted her to think they might be interrupted. It might help her to relax a little.
He pushed the button, waited as the door slid open and smiled as he saw that she'd dressed to distract. Well, as much as she could and still go on duty afterward. Her shirt was low cut and emphasized the sweet rise of her breasts. Her sleek form drew him and he wanted to taste the hard nipples he'd glimpsed through the tight top of her workout clothing. She wore a mid-thigh-length blue skirt and some strappy shoes that drew his eyes to her great legs.
"I'm glad you made it. Are you hungry? The food will stay warm if you're not ready to eat." He stepped back and let her walk into the room.
She smiled. He could tell by the tightness of her lips that she was nervous. She looked around the room. He saw her eyes linger on the bed with its gray and green blanket before sliding to the deep brown table and the covered platters. One of her hands balled into a fist.
"I'm hungry now and I do have duty tonight as well. I wouldn't want to be late." She grinned at him.
"Don't worry about it. I'll make sure you don't get in trouble." He winked and led her over to the table. "Since you do have to work, I'm sure one glass of wine will be your limit, but I do want you to try this. We picked it up from a small planet called Ayul and it's some of the best wine I've ever had."
Once at the table he pulled out a chair and waited for her to take a seat. She sat and lifted the covers off the food on the table. It smelled delicious. He'd deliberately chosen dishes with little to no meat in them tonight. He wanted to see her reaction. Neither the Anjuri nor the Corlan would have any qualms about eating what he'd placed before her. In fact, the Anjuri were nearly exclusively vegetarian. He saw her eyes search the platters and just a hint of dejection. She wanted meat. It wasn't conclusive, but it did support his belief that she was hiding her real identity and was probably a shifter.
"This looks good," she said as he took the seat across from her.
"Thank you. I wanted something that would seem familiar to you." He smiled and poured a little wine in her glass.
She looked down at the plate. He could swear he heard her grind her teeth. She didn't say anything for a little while and he wondered if she was going to reply at all. Finally, she raised her eyes and smiled.
"It's almost exactly like what I've had on Jovala. Your cook must be very good." She drew her finger over the rim of her cup.
"He can cook almost anything we want. I much prefer to have food prepared by hand rather than by machine." He picked up his fork and began eating.
"I haven't seen that on many of the ships I've worked on. It was just more efficient to have the food prep automated considering the number of people to feed." She shrugged. "This is much better than most of the meals on ship I've had."
"It's one of the advantages of working on a smaller ship. Plus you get to know the crew better." He couldn't keep from smiling at that. If the crew was much larger than it was, he wouldn't have had reason to suspect there was something different about her. With thousands of crew members, some captains wouldn't have time to deal with personnel matters.
He heard her swallow hard and would bet she was wishing this was one of those ships. He didn't want her running out of the room before he could talk with her a little more so he backed off the provoking remarks. The last thing he wanted was her leaving. He wasn't going to let her get out of this room tonight without feeling the heat of her desire again. He hadn't planned on making her this tense, but at least with dessert, he should be able to lure her close. Maybe he'd be able to push through a few of those walls. She ate slowly, trying to take up extra time, but he didn't try to hurry her.
"Why don't you go over to the couch and I'll bring our dessert?" He gestured to the small area directly across from the bed with a small couch on the other side of the room. He'd placed it in front of a video monitor, a place to relax and get a little work done in comfort if necessary. One of the privileges of being a higher ranked officer was larger quarters.
She slid him a glance out of the corner of her eyes, but nodded. He watched her walk over to the couch, admiring the sway of her hips. She glided with grace and strength. It fascinated him and reminded him of something, but he couldn't put his finger on it. As she sat on the couch, he gathered the platter of berries and rectangles of cake. He carried them over to the couch, letting her take them while he went back for their glasses and a small bowl of creamy dip.
Before he sat, he dragged a small round table over in front of them. He didn't want the platter between them. It would just be an obstacle. She was placing enough barriers with her attitude. He sat down on the couch but left about half a cushion space between his thigh and hers. She seemed to relax a little bit when she noticed. He lifted one of the pieces of fruit and dipped it into the thick sauce. Cupping his hand underneath it, he brought it to her lips. She looked at him, surprised for a moment, and then opened her mouth. He put the berry into her mouth. She bit into the ripe, juicy fruit.
"Mmm..." She slowly licked her lips, wiping away the slightly purple stain.
"They're good, aren't they? We just picked them up." He smiled.
He wondered if he'd have to prompt her, but then he noticed her fingers hovering over the tray. She picked up one of the fingers of cake, dunked it into the sauce and lifted the piece to his lips. Opening his mouth, he made a point to brush his lips over her finger as he took it. She drew in a sharp breath and her eyes locked with his. He wasn't going to make it easy for her to ignore him or to wait until she had to go on duty.
He saw her mouth firm and her brow arch just a little. He didn't give any sign that he'd seen her reaction. He picked up one of the larger berries. She'd have to open her mouth wide to take it. He wanted to see her hot pink lips close over it. Eating berries shouldn't be all that erotic, but he was semi-hard already.
Her lips opened as he brought the bright blue berry closer. She opened wide and took the piece of fruit in one bite. Her tongue swiped over her lips. He looked at the wet pink curve and swallowed. He knew she'd done that deliberately. He could tell by the challenging look in her eyes. It affected him, but he had plans of his own.
She picked up a wedge of fruit and dipped it. As she lifted it to his lips, he turned his head just slightly to the side. The cream smeared over his cheek. He drew in a breath as if he was surprised by what happened. He waited to see what she'd do next.
"I'm sorry. Let me clean that." She leaned close and brushed her lips over his in a fleeting buss before licking his cheek clean.
He loved how she seemed to be prepared to meet any challenge he threw at her. He picked up a wedge of fruit and gave it a bit of sauce. She opened her mouth and took the fruit. He leaned forward and kissed her. She opened her mouth immediately. He took the opportunity and kissed her. The flavor of the fruit she'd just eaten filled his mouth, but underneath that was her taste. Like her scent, there was something not right about it. It wasn't bad, just wrong and he didn't have the inclination to analyze it at that moment. Her tongue stroked along his and her teeth scraped over his tongue aggressively. He felt the determination to draw her deeper into desire fading as he began to get lost in his own arousal.
Her hand brushed over his chest. He thought for a moment that she was going to push him away, but her hand slipped under his shirt. It felt hot as it smoothed over his stomach. He let her explore while he kissed her and drew his hand down her back. He didn't want to push her too fast and have her back off from him. He almost lost that intention when her fingers plucked at his nipple. He drew in a hissing breath and felt the sizzle go through his body. She didn't seem to care that she was pushing him. He wasn't planning to ask her anything during sex. Afterward would be more conducive to getting any honest answers from her. She'd be relaxed and hopefully her mind hazed by pleasure enough to drop her guard.
"That feels good. Would you like me to do the same to you?" he asked. He drew his hand up her side. Before this went any further, he wanted her full cooperation. He didn't want her putting any distance between them because he'd seduced her. This had to be her decision.
She blinked at him. She obviously hadn't been expecting the question. He wondered if she'd play it safe or if she'd follow the dictates of her body. He could see the hardened nubs of her nipples through her shirt. He didn't know what she was wearing underneath it, but he could clearly see the stiff points. He was tempted to slide his hands up to find out if he could feel the outline of any kind of undergarment, but waited. She'd relax more if this was her decision.
"Touch my breasts." She took his wrist and guided his palm to the small mound.
He wasn't going to think too much about what was behind her plan. There would be time to analyze and plan for the next battle after she'd gone to her duty. He drew his thumb over the hardened tip. The barrier of her shirt frustrated him, but the way she drew in her breath through her teeth almost made up for it. He lavished attention on her breasts, squeezing and flicking at the nipples. He knew she'd want that shirt off soon.
She groaned. He grinned as she pulled the top off before going back to work on his. Her mouth slid down his jaw. She nipped at his neck. The action sent a surge of heat down his spine and straight to his cock. He wanted to grab her and press her down onto the couch and barely caught himself. The woman seemed to know what to do to make him wild. He wondered if she knew how much that aggressive move pushed at his own need to control and dominate.
He drew his thumb over her nipple, adding just enough pressure to push her need a little higher. She rose and swung her leg over his, straddling him. His eyebrows rose. He hadn't expected that. He felt the warm skin of her thighs even through his pants. He kept his hands above her waist even when he wanted to run them over her thighs and find out what she was wearing under her skirt.
"Don't go shy on me. Touch me, undress me." She leaned down and took his lip between her teeth.
Shy? She thought he was shy when he wanted to rip her clothes off? He took the invitation because he wanted nothing more than to touch her. He swept his hands down her sides and cupped her hips for a moment. He pulled her against him, letting her feel the hard ridge of his cock. Her hips rocked slightly. His eyes nearly crossed at the delicious friction. He slid his hand under her skirt and tugged at her panties. His hands slipped inside and over the smooth, soft skin of her buttocks.
She wriggled against him and his fingers tightened. He wanted to rip the barriers between them away and lift her onto his aching cock. He found the catch to her skirt and began undoing the three fastenings. As the last one slipped free, she reached back and removed his hands.
"Let me get this and you start on your clothes." She stood and pushed the fabric over her hips, taking a sheer blue pair of panties with it.
It fell to the floor in a puddle. His gaze locked on her slim hips and her pussy. His mouth watered. He wanted to taste, touch and feel her moving beneath him.
Shaking his head, he tore his eyes away and rose to strip out of his clothing. His cock pressed against the fly of his pants, straining to be free of the confinement. He ripped at the fastenings and they finally came open. At that moment, he didn't care if he'd ruined a pair of pants. His only thought was to get rid of the barriers and finally feel Raine against him skin to skin.
As soon as he was naked, he moved back to the couch and sat. She walked over and stood beside him. He could see that she was wavering and wondered if she was going to grab her clothes and make a run for it. He wanted to reach for her, but knew that would be the wrong move. He had to give her the decision and let her take them to the next step.
He held out his hand. "I want to kiss you. What do you want?"
She hesitated for a moment and he thought he saw something close to panic in her eyes, but then it was gone. She pushed him down onto the couch. Her fingertips skimmed over his chest and her head lowered. She pressed kisses across his chest. He ran his hands up her back. Her skin was so soft and warm. Part of him wanted simply to touch and caress her for hours even though he knew that he wouldn't last that long. He nibbled at her neck. She hummed softly and her teeth grazed across the skin just above his nipple. He tensed as her mouth moved over the hard flat nub. Her hot moist breath sent a jolt of electricity shooting through him as she scraped her teeth across it. He clenched his jaw to hold back a groan.
He'd had enough of playing softly. She obviously had no qualms about this. He slipped his hand between them and stroked his fingers over the skin of her mound. His fingers encountered a small patch of soft hair, but the lips of her pussy were bare and coated with her juices. He pressed his finger between the plump folds. Drawing his fingers down to her slick opening, he teased her by circling the entrance with just enough pressure to excite her. He resisted the urge to stroke his fingers into her tight channel and drew them up to the hood of her clit. He could feel the hard little nub beneath the fold of skin. She moaned and her head fell to his chest.
"Do you like that?" He brushed her hair back, trying to see her face.
"What woman doesn't? The only thing better is the feel of a tongue." She lifted her head. He could see the heat in her eyes.
The mention of the word tongue sent a picture through his mind and he couldn't help thinking about kneeling between her thighs and running his tongue over her pussy. He didn't know about every man, but he loved tasting a woman, driving her to her pleasure with his mouth. An impossible feat in their positions, but he'd like to do it.
"Do you want me to lick you now?" He dropped a kiss on her cheek. He wouldn't take over. Not this time. This had to be her choice, her decision.
She looked up and met his eyes. "Maybe another time. I'm having too much fun like this."
She nipped at his nipple. The sting shot through him and his cock jerked. The woman was lethal. It was as if she knew just how much her aggression was exciting his own and she wanted to push his limits. His hand tightened on her hip. He drew his finger across her clit. He felt the shudder go through her. Her tongue flicked over the flat, hardened tip of his nipple. He wanted to flip them over, drive deep into her. He wanted to feel her pussy wrap around his cock and draw him deep. He had a feeling she'd hold him tight.
"Do you know what you're doing to me?" Her hips rocked into his hand.
"What you're doing to me." He slid his finger down and swirled it in her juices.
She laughed. "And I'm enjoying it. I want to feel you inside me."
He pushed two fingers into her pussy. Her muscles clenched around them and a rough sound escaped her lips. She rocked on his fingers. Her cheeks were flushed and she looked gorgeous. She lifted her hips and his fingers slid free of her pussy. He didn't know how much longer he could let her set the pace. This felt too good and every move she made threatened to take away the last of his control.
"I'm going to ride you." She remained poised over him.
His eyes nearly crossed and he gritted his teeth to stop the growl building within him. She seemed to know just what to say to trigger the urge to dominate. He waited tensely for her to make her next move and each breath took him closer to the edge. She lowered her hips. He held his breath as she joined them together. He wanted to roll her beneath him and drive into her. He forced his thoughts away from that determined to enjoy what she was doing to him.
"Move." The word came out on a harsh growl, but he was beyond caring if the word sounded inhuman.
Her slick channel clenched around his cock as she slowly lowered her hips. His hands closed around her waist. He slowly guided her down until her pelvis pressed against his. She didn't remain still for long. Her hips rocked and then she rose. He wanted to grab her, pull her against him and take them both to the floor. Once there and on top of her, he ached to drive into her and watch the pleasure wash over her as he seized his. She seemed completely unaware of his torment and rode him. Her pace soon quickened and her fingers dug into his shoulders. The bite of her nails into his skin stirred the primitive in him. Letting her lead was ripping away the last of the restraint he possessed. He longed to take control and let her see who was leading this dance.
"Slow down." He didn't really want her to hold back or even worse stop, but it would give him time to regain some control. He didn't want to come before she did.
Her lips slashed across his in a hungry kiss, her tongue dueling fiercely with his as if it was a battle she was determined to win. He tried to slow her pace and soften the kiss, but she nipped his lips. She didn't want sweet and slow. Soon her fever overtook his control. His hips punched up to meet her descending hips. He could feel his balls drawing tighter and knew he wouldn't last much longer.
She tensed and her body shook. Her mouth pressed against his neck and he felt the vibration of a low scream against his shoulder. He drove his hips up against hers as he moved her against him. Sizzling current slammed down his back. He groaned as he came. She pressed kisses on his neck. After a while she stirred and languidly rose to a full sitting position. Her hands stroked over his chest and she looked down at him with a smile curving her lips. She looked sated and happy. He liked that soft look.
She moaned softly and then met his eyes. Her hand smoothed over his chest one time, before she slowly rose off him. He let her go reluctantly.
"That was fabulous, but unfortunately, I have to go. I need to go back to my quarters and take a quick shower. I can't go to work smelling like sex and sweat. Do you mind if I use your bathroom for just a moment?" She gathered her clothes into her hands.
"Of course." He slowly sat up, a little surprised.
She certainly didn't take time to bask in the pleasure. If he hadn't felt and seen her reach orgasm, then he'd doubt that she'd found any pleasure at all. He frowned. This wasn't going the way he'd planned at all. He'd expected to ask her questions while they were both savoring the feelings. She'd bounced up like she'd just taken a refreshing nap. He hadn't gotten a hint of what she was doing on this ship or what she planned.
She came out of the bathroom fully dressed and walked over to the couch. She trailed her hand over his arm. "Thanks. We'll have to do that again some time. I have to go if I want to make sure I'm at my post on time."
"Oh we'll definitely be doing that again," he said as she breezed out the door. He'd make sure the next time they were together went very differently. Even if he had to pin her down physically to get some time with her.
\*
Raine hurried into her quarters and waved to Gianna on her way to the shower. She really did need to get cleaned up for duty even if it wasn't going to take as long as she wanted the captain to believe. She cleaned up quickly and wrapped up in a robe to go get some fresh clothes. Gianna was lounging on the bed but was dressed and ready for her upcoming shift. Raine knew her friend had probably been waiting around to see what had happened. She pulled out some clothing and began dressing.
"So did everything go as you wanted?" Gianna asked.
"He made it easy for me." Raine smiled. She hadn't expected the seductive play with food that had taken up some time. She'd thought she would have a harder problem keeping him at arm's length until she was sure they'd be pressed for time.
"Now that isn't what I expected. He doesn't seem the type to follow anyone else's lead." Gianna grinned. "So you managed to keep him distracted with your body, have your fun and go or did he get any questions in?"
"No, I think he had plans for after the sex, but after his slow, easy approach to seduction he didn't have time for the interrogation." Raine smiled.
He'd been very frustrated when she'd left. If he hadn't wanted to keep her relaxed, she knew he wouldn't have let her leave. She was just glad that he seemed to be afraid of pressing her too hard. Even if she hadn't already suspected that he was too curious about her, tonight would have enlightened her. The anticipation and suspicion had been in his eyes when she'd walked through the door. He'd been too damn cautious. Even from short acquaintance, she knew it wasn't his usual manner of doing things.
"That'll infuriate the alpha every time. Did he look pissed when you left?" Gianna grinned, bracing herself on an elbow.
"He looked frustrated and a bit angry, but his tense muscles showed that there was more emotion behind it. He's not that easy to read other than sudden flashes of emotion." Rain shrugged as she buttoned up her shirt.
"He'll be looking for a second opportunity." Gianna grimaced. "You won't be able to lead him so easily next time."
"I'm sure he will. He's not going to give up coaxing information out of me simply because he miscalculated. And I didn't lead him. I just took advantage of his plan." Raine grinned. It had seemed like a gift from the Goddess when he'd started feeding her the dessert.
"Miscalculated and was led astray I'd bet." Gianna raised an eyebrow. "Don't let him catch on that you're playing the game as much as he is. This man is even more alpha than you are. Only someone who doesn't know the word impossible would be able to bring together and command a group of Feiral he gathered as he traveled."
Raine made a face at her friend. She wasn't stupid. She knew that Connal wasn't someone she could openly taunt. He had to believe that he was in charge of the game or he might just begin to suspect what kind of being she actually was. Feiral loved games and tricks as no other people did. Tricking another Feiral added a special something to the satisfaction of any game.
"I know. As long as I can keep him thinking that he's in control, it should be all right. Did you get any of the information we needed about the identity we need for Krissa?" Raine swallowed. She knew she'd better tell Gianna about what else she'd discovered tonight, but she didn't want her or Nara to panic. They still had a few days on this vessel and they had to act normally.
"We have everything now. When we get to Forunes, I'll key an identity chip for her and we'll be set to go as soon as we find her, but there's trouble. They've had word of some kind of sighting on Forunes. I'd bet Krissa was seen in animal form. I heard Rennick and one of the other men talking. They'll be looking for a Feiral." Gianna met her eyes and her voice was deadly serious.
"Damn, I'd hoped they wouldn't even know there was a Feiral on the planet. But we should be able to disappear anyway without any questions from them once we're off this ship." Raine shook her head.
It seemed like more and more things kept going wrong, but as long as they managed to get off this ship without any of the other Feiral knowing who they were, she'd be happy. "There's something you should know, but you can't let it affect how you react around these people."
"That sounds a lot worse than what I thought was supremely bad news, but all right, I'll take the news and they won't know anything's any different." Gianna exhaled heavily and looked like she was bracing herself.
"At least the captain is Daclind Feiral so just be careful of your expression when you let things happen between you and Rennick. The push I received from him that first day was stronger than I expected with some auditory and visual hallucinations. I suspect it's because of that. The others could be more than Feiral, too." Raine brushed her hair and secured it.
"If he ever figures out just how much you've played with him, he'll come after you regardless of if he's aware that you're Feiral or not. Damn, Raine, how in hell did you keep from running out of the room? Hell, if he ever finds out we've stolen one of his crew members' identities, they'll be coming after us. They don't like losing and that's exactly how they'll take it." Gianna shook her head.
"Deep breaths, Gianna. We can do this and we'll disappear as planned. We're not leaving him any way to track us. Now, we both need to go to our duties." Raine smoothed a hand down her black pants. "We do what we have to."
"We'll make it through this, but I'm going to keep the games to a minimum. I don't want to be too memorable." Gianna shook her head, but a smile curved her lips.
"We're going to be memorable regardless. So you feel free to do what you want. They're not going to forget about us for a long time after we leave." Raine smiled. "Now let's get our work done for the night."
"Hey, Raine!" Nara's voice greeted Raine as soon as she came into the room.
Raine ran a hand through her hair and tried to ease the tension out of her shoulders. Those men weren't making it easier as they got closer to Forunes. Seriously, questions while she was on duty and focusing on several tasks at once already. Even she wouldn't be that cruel, but those men hadn't hesitated. As a result, her muscles were aching and she wanted to hurt them badly or at the very least put a serious ding in their pride.
"Hi, Nara," Raine smiled and stopped a few steps into the room.
Her head tilted and she looked over at her friend. Nara was on her knees between two of the beds and she'd managed to get one of the metal cabinets away from the wall. Even from her position, Raine could see that there was a hole behind it. She'd known there would probably be some hidden space within the room. This was a Feiral ship and all Feiral loved secrets, hidden doors and concealed rooms, but she'd expected a secret little cubbyhole or something so small that only a small information chip or something similar would fit in it. These quarters weren't regular crew quarters and she knew that they'd probably had humans onboard before.
"You have to take a look at this." Nara rose a little and smiled. "This tempts me."
Raine chuckled but tossed a look back at the door. She hoped no one escorted any of the others back to the room. One glance in the door would show them that something was off, but like Nara, that hole drew her to come closer and explore the darkness inside it.
"Any sign of sensors in there?" Raine walked over to the bed and sprawled across it to get a closer look without crowding in next to Nara.
It wasn't just a small hole to hide a bag. Now that she was closer, she could see that it was a small passage. It would be easier to go through in Feiral form, but she or any of the others here could make their way through it. As soon as she realized that, she began to wonder where it led. She narrowed her eyes and tried to see into the darkness but couldn't make out anything. Did it lead to a little room somewhere or was it a way to access another area, maybe an escape route? She'd had a rough stairway in her first home that led to the attic and a cache of weapons. Was this something like that?
"No signs of sensors or anything but the narrow passage. You know I'm itching to get in there and from the way you're looking at it so are you." Nara shone a small light into the darkness. It was part of the equipment she used in her duties in engineering so Raine knew she'd come by it honestly.
"Oh yes, and the insane part of me that sees this as a great challenge wants to leave something so that they know that we found their little hidden entrance. Maybe a note or message on the walls." Raine sighed. If it was just her, she wouldn't hesitate to provoke them, but it wasn't only her. They had to get Krissa off that planet and after they left they wouldn't be able to guarantee when that duct-like passage would be searched. It was too much risk.
"We've got to show the others this even if we don't go in there." Nara looked longingly at the entrance.
"I never said anything about not going in there. I won't be leaving them any clues, but I've got to explore a bit even if we do go slowly to make sure there are no hidden sensors to catch us, but since they weren't expecting someone of their own kind, I don't think we have to worry about that." Raine braced her chin on her forearm and glanced at Nara. "I do think we should wait until we're all here and there's less chance of someone opening the door and someone out in the hall seeing something strange in here."
"You've taken some of the fun out of it." Nara groaned, but pushed the cabinet back into place. It slid soundlessly back against the wall.
"Just remember whenever one of the men annoys you, you can think about how you've been in the secret room and they know nothing about it." Raine rolled her eyes. Okay, so that wasn't just something for Nara to use. It was going to give her a little satisfaction too.
"That's a good idea, but now we have to wait for Gianna and you know time's going to drag until she gets here." Nara walked over and took a seat on the bed. "What are we going to do?"
"Talk. You can start with how you're doing with the man set to try to trick you into confessing all." Raine smiled widely at her friend.
"Oh he's trying to coax me into believing that he's my friend as well as a lover. You know the little friendly gestures like bringing me something to eat on my break, although I still haven't figured out how he knows when I'm on my break because it's not scheduled. He's also telling me little things about himself. I feed him expanded bits from the history worked up, but I can tell that's not what he's looking for." Nara rolled her eyes. "Like that's going to work."
"Hey, don't whine about it. It could be worse. He could be all out pushing like the Natahl, Captain Connal is with me. The man's not subtle. Even if I'd been completely unaware that he suspected anything before that first meeting, halfway into the conversation I would have known he was suspicious." Raine shook her head. She only wished that Connal had tried something so innocuous with her.
"At least you don't have the possibility of relaxing near him that much. Sometimes after reminding myself to keep it friendly and open, I almost forget that this is all a game." Nara took a deep breath. "I'm just glad we're not going to be here that much longer."
Raine knew that there would be drawbacks to either method, but she'd prefer something a little less stressful. They didn't have much more time to discuss it because soon Gianna arrived. She walked in and stopped when she found both Raine's and Nara's eyes locked on her.
"Is something wrong?" Gianna walked into the room slowly, looking around as if for something out of the ordinary.
"Nothing's wrong. Raine just thought we should wait until you were here to explore." Nara bounced up from the bed. "There's something you should see."
"Explore what?" Gianna walked forward and a frown furrowed her brow.
"Nara found something." Raine stayed on the bed and watched as Nara revealed the hidden duct.
"Ah, so there is one here. I was thinking that since this was more of a guest or non-crew space that they hadn't put anything like this in here." Gianna smiled as she knelt next to Nara. "Are we actually going in there?"
"If you want. We can't see any sensors and since they didn't know that we weren't human before we arrived, it should be safe." Raine shrugged. The possibility that it was some kind of trap to draw them into revealing they were more than human was so remote that the only reason she even thought of it was because after days of Connal's probing questions she was a little paranoid.
"Should be safe. Is that good enough for you?" Gianna raised a brow and glanced over at Raine.
"Actually, yes, after the last few days, it is. I need something I can keep in the back of my mind and simply think about to remind me that we're one up on him and we need to keep it that way." Raine grinned and looked into the hole again.
"You know the longer this goes on the more I begin to agree with Deanne. We're all insane." Gianna looked at the entrance and sighed. "I actually understand and agree with what you just said and that's a sure sign that we're losing it."
"We? Why does it have to be all of us? Why not just you? I know I find all of this perfectly logical and sane." Nara grinned and winked at Raine. "What about you, Raine?"
"Oh I feel a little harassed, but otherwise I'm sane and calm." Raine laughed. "You found it, you go first."
\*
Raine smoothed her hands down her pants as she walked down the hallway to Connal's room. They had a dinner date tonight. It was the last night she'd be aboard the ship so she expected an all-out assault on her defenses. It was his last chance to get her to make a mistake and he'd want that mistake or some kind of proof before he pounced. She was nervous because she had no idea what he'd try. Her mind was churning even though she knew it was a useless endeavor. She wouldn't know until he tried.
She stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts and calming herself. The last thing she wanted to do was go in there looking nervous. After a few moments she pressed the button to announce her arrival to Connal. It took only a few moments for the door to slide open in front of her.
Connal smiled down at her and clasped her hand to draw her inside. Tonight there was no meal waiting for them. That might come later, but at the moment, she was focused on only one thing. This was the last chance she'd have to be with him. She didn't want to waste a moment of it. She stepped forward and ran her hands over his chest.
"It's hard to believe that this time tomorrow I won't be able to do this." She flexed her fingers on his shoulders. That was both a relief and a disappointment. She wouldn't miss the tension of her jousting and trying to hide things from him, but she liked talking to him and definitely liked touching him.
He tugged her close and his lips grazed across her cheek. "Yes, time has seemed to roll by much too fast, but we'll worry about that when it comes. I want to enjoy the time we have now."
"I have an idea about how we can enjoy the time we have now." She grinned and with a little pressure on his chest began to guide him backward.
"What do you have in mind?" He grinned and went along as she steered him toward the bed.
"You undress and I'll show you." She licked her lips as wonderful lascivious ideas flashed through her head. It was going to be hard to pick just one, but she did have a few favorites.
His gaze ran over her face before he pulled his light blue shirt over his head and flung it toward the couch. She took off her shirt and dropped it to the floor even as her hands reached for the clasp of her barely there bra. She'd worn it and her sexiest red pair of panties for tonight with the image of him peeling the scrap off her, but now she had other plans. Letting the bra fall to the floor, she moved her hand down to her pants. She had wanted to wear a flowing skirt, but she didn't have one in her bag so she'd gone with her favorite, most curve-hugging pair of pants. Not easy access, but she knew she looked sexy. She slipped out of her shoes and then began sliding her pants down her thighs, wiggling her hips for extra effect when she noticed he was watching. She might not have much in the way of curves, but Connal seemed to appreciate what she did have.
He reached out as she stepped out of her pants and pulled her against him. He still wore his dark blue pants and the gleaming black shoes and she fervently wished those articles gone when she felt the hard ridge of his cock pressing against her belly. She wanted to see and touch him, not just feel.
"Um, you're slow." She rose up on tiptoes and brushed her lips across his. "You'll have to pay the price now."
His lips traced the line of her jaw as she tried to glance past him to see how far they were from the bed. Luckily, his calves almost touched the end of it. She wouldn't have to maneuver him back more before she began.
"What's the price? I'm sure I can give you what you want." His hips rolled against her, emphasizing that he was hard and ready for her.
"You don't give me what I want. You didn't get undressed and now you have to pay." She pushed against his chest and he stepped back. His leg hit the bed and he tumbled back onto it. She followed quickly before he could get to his feet. Her fingers unfastened the snaps of his fly in quick order and she pulled the flaps wide and circled his cock with her hand. Her hand pumped up and down his length in a slow, torturous glide.
"What are you planning to do?" One of his hands cupped the back of her neck and the other rested on her shoulder.
"Torture you." She ran her tongue over the skin just below his bellybutton. She really did want to push him to his limits. "How much can you take?"
His hips rose as she drew her hand up and released his cock. She smiled as she saw his eyes narrow. She could almost see the big male thinking, trying to decide how far to let her go and if there was any way he could take control.
"And this is making me pay?" He smiled. "It just makes me want you more."
"You are a confident man." She nipped at his stomach and let her fingers trail around the head of his cock.
His hand tightened on her shoulder and pushed. In the next instant, she felt the softness of the mattress beneath her back as he loomed over her. His lips pulled back, revealing a lot of teeth and smug masculine triumph. The weight of his lower body pressed against her and he rolled his hips.
"Because I know what I want and how to get it," he whispered as his head lowered. His mouth brushed over her cheek and his teeth grazed over her lips.
Her mouth tingled from the light contact. She wanted more. Her head lifted, her lips pressed against his and she kissed him. A wild need throbbed inside her, surging and writhing low in her belly. Her mind thrilled at the dominant move and she fought the urge to bare her teeth at him and push him into a more intense demonstration of his power. As much as she wanted to feel it, she couldn't do it. It was too risky to her and the others. She settled for threading the fingers of her right hand through his hair and holding him close.
His hips rolled against her and she couldn't help lifting into that pressure. Her free hand snaked around his side and she was right where she wanted to be. Under him, kissing him and touching him, the only way this could get better was if he'd peel off those pants and do more than let her feel his hardness. She didn't know if she'd ever felt anything this intense before. Right now, she wasn't going to overanalyze the situation or why everything felt so sharp. She simply wanted to enjoy it.
Her hand slid down his back and over his taut buttocks. She sunk her nails into his skin as her fingers clenched in his hair, lifting his head up. "Don't tease!"
He laughed. "Let's see if you're as ready as you seem."
His body lifted and the fingers of one hand skimmed over her chest pausing to flick and pull at her hardened nipples for a little while as if he couldn't resist. She gasped and her back arched off the bed. She could feel the moisture on her thighs and clenching them only made the ache worse, but she couldn't stay relaxed. She felt the warmth of his palm like a brand searing through her as it touched her abdomen and moved lower. As soon as his hand touched her thigh, she opened her legs eagerly. His fingertips glided over the slick lips of her pussy before parting the folds. She held her breath as she felt his fingers near her clit, but he circled the bundle of nerves without touching it, the pressure light and teasing. Her breath exploded from her lips and she reached for his hand.
His eyes narrowed and he captured her wrist and pushed it to the blanket beside her hip. "Keep it there or on my back. I'll stop if you try to interfere."
Her lips pulled away from her teeth in a snarl before she could control it but luckily he'd turned his attention back to her breasts and pussy. His head lowered and his lips plucked at her right nipple just as his hand slid back between her thighs. His thumb traced the plump sensitized lips as his fingers found the juices flowing from her entrance. While his fingers played between her legs, his lips, teeth and tongue tormented the reddened peak.
Shivers rolled over her body and her hands clenched in his hair and on the blanket. Her body bowed, lifting against his hand, but he merely kept circling the opening. Her inner muscles clenched and pulses of hot need thrummed low in her belly, taking away the last of her thoughts. Sensation ruled and she craved more.
"Connal," she groaned his name and tugged at his head. Part of her didn't want him to stop what he was doing. In spite of driving her to the edge, it felt so good.
"I've found a bit of juice here." He glanced up and two fingers dipped into her pussy.
If he had said that earlier, he would have gotten back a load of sarcasm. Now she only wanted him to stop exploring and fuck her. His lips firmed over her breast and he drew the nipple into his mouth. She gasped and arched up as sharp pleasure speared down her spine. His fingers plunged deep and her muscles clenched around the large digits. Just a little more. She was so close to coming. If he'd just brush his thumb across her clit, she'd fly right over the edge. Her hips lifted in silent pleading, but his hand moved up with her pelvis, denying her the extra friction.
His teeth scraped over her nipple just before he lifted his head. "If you're going to come, I want to be buried deep inside you and feel those ripples pulling at me like they are my finger."
He rose and pushed his pants down his legs, kicking free of them. It wasn't the most graceful motion she'd ever seen, but she wanted to yell in joy when he knelt between her legs. He grasped his cock and slid over the heated lips of her pussy. Juices coated the darkened head as it moved down to her entrance. His hips rocked forward slowly. He groaned as her inner muscles squeezed and pulled at him. That got her attention. She tightened the muscles again, not willing to wait for a long fuck. She wanted it hard, fast and now. His hands landed beside her shoulders as he tried to remain still when his cock was only halfway inside her. His forehead touched hers and his body shook as he fought against his own need.
She didn't want him fighting that urge. She wanted him swamped by it just as she was. She brought her hand up and scraped her nails down his back before grabbing his butt and squeezing. A growl rumbled through him and she arched up as his hips drove down against her pelvis. He thrust against her, but he wasn't content to just fuck her. Bracing his weight on one elbow, he reached between them and tugged at her nipples.
Her fingers dug into his skin and she moaned brokenly as hot pleasure crashed over her. Her entire body shook and she couldn't let go of him even if she wanted to try. His hips lunged against hers and his breath rasped over her neck as he sought his own release. His teeth grazed along her neck as his hips ground in a circular motion before he stiffened and jerked with his release.
She felt the spurt of his semen inside her and reluctantly released him. She was going to miss this when they left. It was crazy, but she liked being near him. He attracted her in a way that went beyond his physical good looks.
"What are you going to do on Forunes?" Connal's voice cut through her musings.
She closed her eyes and shook her head as she hurriedly gathered her thoughts. "My friend is going to get us a posting on the trade ship she works on. I know you don't have memory problems. Why do you keep asking those kinds of questions?"
That was something she wasn't going to miss. It would be a relief not to have to always be on guard.
Raine breathed a sigh of relief as she exited the shuttle. She made sure she kept it silent though. They weren't alone just yet so they had to keep the façade in place. She was ready to get down to the real business of finding Krissa and getting her off this planet.
Walking across the black-topped landing area to the sliding silver entry doors of the port buildings, she focused on getting into the dark gray building. The path was clearly marked for passengers departing from a trade shuttle and she didn't deviate. That could be dangerous with the carts pulling the loads of goods whizzing past.
This wasn't the gleaming, pretty port that the tourists saw, but a working area that allowed access to those doing business here. The doors opened with a near silent whoosh and she walked into the white and gray entry room. She saw a scanner for both bags and people near the exit to the long rectangular room. Very serious, uniformed guards stood on either side of those machines as enforcement, but she wasn't interested in them. She saw the way to get some distance between them and the crew of the Raitan. She smiled slightly and slipped a glance toward Gianna and Nara.
They all wore comfortable clothes, but they were the brightest and most unrestricting articles of what they'd brought with them. This had to seem casual, as if they were going to meet a friend. Nara wore a flowing white and yellow shirt and a long skirt, while Gianna had chosen a sleeveless bright blue-green top held up by two thin strips and tight black pants. When she'd seen what they were wearing, Raine had wondered if her short-sleeved, button-down red top with black slashes across the chest and back was a little too normal, but it wasn't like she had that many outfits to wear. She'd packed for comfort and to fit in with the crew, but she hadn't expected to be under so much scrutiny.
She knew her friends were as relieved as she was to be walking away from the crew. It felt like a weight lifting from them just to get off the Raitan without anyone discovering anything damning. She had to force herself to take one thing at a time. She wanted to rush past the checkpoints and get right to finding the signs that Krissa would have left for them, but knew that she had to keep it slow and not do anything stupid that would draw attention from the authorities here or give Connal any clue that they were in a hurry.
She allowed her bag to be checked by the entry guards and then waited for Gianna and Nara. The air smelled stale inside the building, but she didn't mind it at all. She felt free and deliriously happy now that she was here. Not very surprising since the ride down had seemed like being crammed into a very small can. The shuttle had been packed. Even though she knew she shouldn't, she turned and waved to the people from the Raitan before she headed down the white tiled concourse with Gianna and Nara.
"Taunting them isn't what we want to do, is it?" Nara asked with a laugh. "Don't we have enough trouble without making them focus on us any more than they will eventually?"
"Well, we can't seem like we're running away from them and the journey wasn't that bad. Seeming to flee from them would attract more attention than a simple wave." Raine kept her voice low, but loud enough for her friends to hear. She knew that the wave was strictly unnecessary, but it had been irresistible. "Besides you know I'm always so open and friendly."
"You know she was being sarcastic." Gianna shook her head.
Raine laughed. "Yeah, I know, but couldn't help it."
"Let's get out of here. The sooner we get to Krissa's workplace the sooner we can start finding her clues." Nara looked back at the group still at the entry port check-in.
Raine glanced back. Luckily, the Raitan was the only larger ship unloading cargo and crew right now. There weren't that many people wandering through the building and she could easily see Connal and his people. She wasn't surprised that they were all waiting for the rest of the group to get through. This wasn't a standard leave for them. This was a search mission.
She'd heard a few of the quiet orders they'd been given. She loved it when people underestimated her. They were to begin searching some park on the far east end of Verai, the main port city on Forunes. That wasn't in the area where Krissa had been working, but it didn't mean that they were safe. Raine wasn't so certain that the path of Krissa's clues wouldn't take them in that direction. A park would be a good stop-off spot until Krissa could find a way into a large forest where she could hide.
"You're right. Krissa's been alone here long enough. We have to find her. Before they do if I'm right and she was spotted." Raine took a deep breath and deliberately faced forward and took her eyes off them.
"We're here and we'll get to her." Nara nodded.
They left the spaceport and caught a public shuttle to the area around Krissa's work. She had no idea how the bigoted fanatics had discovered that Krissa wasn't human, but that really didn't matter. All that mattered was getting to their hurt friend. They'd been working together long enough to establish emergency procedures. They'd chosen the first message drop as the area near the work because the first place anyone would look for someone on the run would be their home. The message would be waiting for them.
They walked the short distance from the shuttle drop-off to the office building where Krissa had been working. A thin strip of grass bordered the sidewalk surrounding the large, gleaming, silver building. They strolled down the tree-lined path until they reached the second tree from the last. This wasn't going to be unobtrusive, but since they only had to search one tree, they shouldn't be here for very long. Nara began looking around the base of it while Gianna took the back and Raine the front. Gianna found the chip secured to the tree with weatherproof tape, which blended in almost perfectly with the dark brown bark of the tree.
Gianna slipped the chip free from the protective case and put it in her handheld. She read the message and then handed the small comp to Raine. Raine groaned when she read where the next message had been placed. Krissa had left the message in Birdsong Park on the east side of Verai. It was where the Feiral had gone.
"We can't all be seen there. It would be too much of a coincidence and the captain isn't stupid." Nara looked from Gianna to Raine.
"No, he isn't stupid. You two are going shopping. I'm going to take a walk in the park. I might be able to distract Connal enough to throw him off his game. Maybe he won't question my appearance there too much." Raine took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
"Shopping for what?" Gianna asked.
"Well, think like you were Krissa. What do you think we're going to need to get to her?" Raine shrugged. "A vehicle, some food and of course extra clothing."
"That we can do. Don't let him distract you." Nara grinned. "We all know how attracted you are to him."
"Yeah, I'm attracted to him. I think it has a little to do with the danger of it." Raine grinned and winked, enjoying the teasing. It helped her relax a little when nervousness and anxiety was building. She handed them her bag. "Just can't resist the rush."
"Well, don't get too much of a thrill today," Gianna shook her head. "We'll catch a ride and go get the supplies we'll need."
"I'll meet you at the hotel we researched. Wait for a day and then assume I'm gone." Raine looked from Gianna to Nara to make sure they understood.
"That won't be necessary. We know you. You'll be there." Gianna shook her head. "See you soon."
"I'll see you." Raine headed to the end of the street.
She knew she'd be able to get a cab there. It was just a matter of time. She didn't get the first transport she hailed, but after a little time she managed to get a ride. The whole ride to the park her mind whirled and churned as she mentally ran through the possibilities. The moment it stopped a calm settled over her and she focused. She had to get to the lake without looking like that was her goal.
Meandering through the park wasn't what she wanted to do, but it was what she had to do. She kept herself under control and resisted the urge to do a visual sweep for the Feiral from the Raitan. She wasn't supposed to know they were here and looking nervous was the last thing she should be if she'd really arrived on the planet with a guarantee of a posting.
She picked a walking trail at random. They all joined together at different points and she could seem to ponder which way to go when she came to a sign. She walked slowly and enjoyed the warmth of the sun flowing over her. The sweet scent of flowers teased her nose, but she didn't see any nearby. Grassy fields bordered one side of the path and she could see small groups of people playing games there. Trimmed trees and bushes lined the other side. It was just a small stand of trees, most likely just a strip because she could see a field on the other side through gaps in the leaves and branches.
She stopped at one of the maps and looked at it. She ran her finger over the glossy surface, tracing one of the paths. It was while she was there that she got the first glimpse of the Feiral she knew were in the area. She saw Rennick looking at the ground near the edge of a group of trees. She knew he was looking for tracks or a sign that a Feiral in animal form was in the area. Raine grinned and let the small smile remain there. Krissa wasn't here, of that she was sure.
She made her way slowly to the lake. She walked out onto the pier and looked at the water. She loved watching the water. At home, she lived near a lake when she didn't have to be in the city. She liked to go down and watch the waves or go for a swim in the sun-warmed water.
"I didn't expect to see you again." A deep voice came from just behind her.
She tensed and turned. "You startled me. But I didn't expect to see you again either. I thought you and the others would be enjoying your layover since it will probably be short."
"We'll be leaving again in a few days, but we decided to stop here. What are you doing here? I thought you'd be with your friend." Dressed in a white and red shirt and very dark gray pants, he cocked a hand on his hip and ran his eyes over her.
She could see the suspicion there along with his normal cool confidence. This wasn't the time for any fancy stories. She wasn't playing around with him and drawing his interest to her any more than necessary.
"Well, I expected to be, but the last time we were in contact with her was the day we were informed we'd received the posting. We didn't know when exactly we'd get here. She's not there right now. So I'm killing a little time while waiting for her to listen to her messages." She sighed and flashed a smile at him.
When his eyes fell to her breasts, she knew his mind wasn't on whether she was telling him the truth or lying. In spite of the fact that she didn't have lush, huge mounds, he seemed fascinated by her breasts. He'd lavished attention on them any chance he had.
"Where are your two friends?" He took a step closer to her and trailed his finger over her arm.
"They're shopping. I didn't want to be among the crowds or in a building." She glanced at the lake again. "I like to be outside sometimes, to enjoy the open spaces and not feel trapped."
"Are you sure you're taking on the right profession?" he asked with a laugh.
"Yeah, once I'm onboard the ship, I love every minute of it, but when I get back on a planet, I need the time outside. I know it sounds strange." She shrugged.
He stepped closer and brushed his lips across hers. She didn't know if he meant it to be a fleeting caress, but as soon as his mouth touched hers, a thrill shot through her. She didn't even think before going up on tiptoe and deepening the kiss. Her hand rose and she traced the shape of his cheekbone with her fingertips before spearing them into his thick red hair. His taste filled her and she only wanted more. Her breasts brushed against his chest and the pressure sent a stinging ache straight to her pussy.
"Captain!" A male voice burst into the silence between them. "There's a message from the ship for you."
"It's not that strange for you to like that. I just didn't expect it from you. If your friend doesn't contact you, would you like to have dinner with me?" Connal's head lifted and he stepped back. He slid a glance down her body and heat flared in his eyes.
She knew more than dinner was included in that invitation. At that moment, she'd gladly drag him into the bushes if she got the opportunity. "If I don't hear from her. Are you going to contact me or did you want me to contact you?"
"I'll get in touch with you later." His hand brushed over her cheek just before he walked away from her.
She watched the flex of his muscles beneath the tight cloth of his pants. He was such a gorgeous man. Why did things have to be so complicated? She couldn't live the life he led and she knew he wouldn't want the life she'd made for herself even if she had the nerve to reveal it to him. She did wonder if what was between them could have grown into something more. If they were mates. She'd never know, because if she did her job right, the odds were against them ever seeing each other again.
She looked out at the water for a while before she strolled over to a bench. She sat on the left end. Very carefully, she made sure no one was watching her. When she was certain, she reached down and felt along the underside of the bench. She found the end of the tape first and then felt the bump of the slim case containing the chip. She pulled the tape free. She didn't take the time to get the case free from the adhesive. She knew there were too many Feiral around to take the chance. She balled the tape up in her hand as she stood and slipped it into her pocket. Slowly, she began making her way out of the park.
Raine didn't stop as she exited the area. She caught a shuttle and made her way to the hotel. It was a small, but exclusive place that was known for protecting the identity of those who stayed there. It looked like a very large, stately manor with its blue-gray walls and the elaborate white trim. Flowers climbed up a trellis and lush gardens grew along the paved path to the entrance.
She walked up the steps. The door slid open as she approached it and she walked into the hotel. The lobby was decorated with very expensive, comfortable couches and green plants. Light streamed across the gold and cream tile from groups of floor-to-ceiling windows. The place looked very posh. A young woman in a light blue shirt manned the desk and Raine noted the elegant hairstyle and the expensive look of her clothing as she approached.
"I have a reservation. My name is Raine Iallat." Raine smiled at the woman.
"Your room is ready, Ms. Iallat, and just to let you know we have you paid through the next five days. If you need to stay longer just inform us and it will be no problem." The woman smiled and slid a small chip across the counter. "This is the pass for your room. Once inside, you can set a passcode if you'd like so you don't have to carry the pass with you."
"Thank you. Has there been a message left for me? My friends also have registrations here and I don't know if I arrived before them." Raine tilted her head and waited as the woman checked.
"There's no message for you. Would you like to leave them a message?" The woman looked at her and her hands remained poised over the keypad.
"Yes, for my friends Gianna Valent and Nara Lions. Tell them to come to my room as soon as they arrive." Raine waited as the woman read back the short message before she went up to her room.
The room was as luxurious as she expected and was technically a suite. Her feet sank into plush cream-colored carpet and she couldn't wait to get her shoes off. A sitting area with a couch, chair and small end table had been grouped near a video screen and a door that led into the bedroom part of the suite. At the other end of the rectangular room, she saw a table with a vase filled with fresh flowers. It would be perfect for romantic dining, but Raine knew it wouldn't get any use this time.
She went to the door and it opened with a soft whoosh. The huge bed captured her attention when she stepped into the room. It was covered with a silky cream, gold and brown blanket and looked soft and inviting. Someone could have a lot of fun on that and she could easily picture rolling around on it with Connal.
Shaking her head, she forced the image out of her mind and continued with her tour. She walked over and looked into the bathroom. A large tub big enough for three people drew her eyes. She glanced at the gold-trimmed counter and the large mirror. She walked back out to the sitting area and dropped into a chair to wait for her friends. She fished the clump of tape out of her pocket and began to pry the case loose from the sticky wad.
She wasn't there long before the tone sounded at her door. She got up and disposed of the adhesive on the way to answer it. She checked the screen and saw her friends standing out there. Since they were only carrying her bag, she knew they'd stopped by their own rooms first. She opened the door and smiled as Gianna and Nara rushed into the room. They hugged her.
"I thought I was going to be pacing the floor for a while wondering if you were going to make it back to us, but you're already here." Gianna strolled over to one of the chairs and dropped into it.
Nara tossed Raine her bag. Raine caught it and put it on the small table as Nara went to the couch. She fished inside it and pulled out her small comp. She plucked the chip free of the case and inserted it. A map came up and she stared at it. Krissa had fled to a wildlife preserve. There wasn't any explanation about how she planned to get there, but Raine was sure she'd made it. Krissa was resourceful.
She handed the comp to Nara and Gianna. "If you've got the supplies we need we can go now."
"We have what we need. It shouldn't take long to pick her up. Were they still at the park?" Nara asked.
"They were still there. He saw me soon after I arrived." Raine grinned as she remembered how soon he'd come over to question her. Coincidences didn't sit well with his type of man.
"And?" Gianna leaned forward. "What happened when came over to you?"
"He asked what I was doing. I lied and eventually he got called away." Raine smiled. "It wasn't as hard as I expected."
"So he was distracted by you. I bet he wanted to do more than talk. He could hardly keep his hands off you on the ship." Gianna raised her brows.
"Maybe. Now to more important stuff than him. Are you ready? I want to get Krissa off this planet as soon as possible." Raine frowned at Gianna, but she couldn't hold it. With a little distance, it was a bit funny.
"Always ready. Let's go get our friend and get off this planet. We're not the only hunters here you know." Nara nodded and got to her feet.
"Too many hunters," Raine muttered as she walked to the door.
She keyed in a code so that she didn't have to worry about losing that small chip. With the Feiral, the fanatics and anyone else that might be hunting Krissa for some reason, she knew there could be a chance that the rescue mission could turn into a fight. She was certain that Nara and Gianna would have gotten them some kind of weapons while they were shopping.
They left the hotel together. Raine followed them since she had no idea where they'd left whatever transport they'd arranged. She expected some kind of cruiser shuttle that would get them where they were going, but wouldn't stand out too much. They'd hired a small air shuttle, but it definitely screamed for attention. A sleek newer model in bright red, it wasn't the normal rental vehicle. It would seat five and was suited for mid-distance planetary travel. It would do for what they needed to accomplish. Raine just hoped they could get it back in one piece. If things turned ugly, that nice color would be scorched at the very least.
Nara piloted the shuttle to the preserve. Vehicles could fly through but stopping and wandering through the forest wasn't advised. Raine kept watch on the map Krissa had provided. Her friend had specified a spot deep in the preserve. They finally found the spot and stopped the shuttle. Gianna opened the door and stepped down onto the ground. Raine followed. She scanned the trees and bushes along the path through the sanctuary. Where was Krissa? Even though Krissa wouldn't know exactly when help would arrive, she'd know it was coming. During the day, she'd stay close to the area she'd marked as was their normal practice. Going hiking through the forest would definitely draw notice and Raine was sure her friend would be watching from somewhere close.
"Krissa, come on out. We're here for you." She raised her voice loud enough to carry into the trees. She walked out in front of the shuttle and looked from right to left.
A rustle of leaves and the sound of twigs breaking drew her attention to the back of the shuttle. She saw a reddish brown streak barreling toward her. It stopped just steps away from her, bushy tail swinging. She smiled and shook her head at her friend. In animal form, she reached just under hip high.
"Well, get in the shuttle. We've got clothes for you and some sterile wipes so you can clean yourself up a bit." Raine shook her head. She could see the enthusiasm in Krissa's body language.
Krissa bounded into shuttle. As Raine climbed onboard, she saw Krissa change forms. They closed the door and the shuttle rose from the road. Raine sat in the seat and turned back to face Krissa. Her friend was just pulling on a shirt. She flipped her blonde hair out of the collar.
"There wasn't much detail in your message. What happened?" Raine tilted her head.
Krissa rubbed at her arms and legs with the sterile wipes. "One of my neighbors in the apartment complex found out I wasn't human. I don't know how. The next thing I know he and two other men are coming after me trying to kill me. I got the information we needed on the company. I hope you received it."
"We did and that's not important." Raine shook her head. "Are you all right? Hurt in any way?"
"No, the only injuries were bruises and scrapes. They've faded, but do you have any food with you?" Krissa asked. "It's been days since I've had more than berries and other small edibles."
"Of course." Nara reached behind her seat and came up with a loaded bag. She lifted it up and set it beside Krissa.
"So when are we leaving?" Krissa pulled on a pair of pants and reached for the bag.
"As soon as we can get a place on a departing ship." Raine turned in her seat. "I think you were seen in your animal form around the park in the city. There's another group of Feiral in the city looking around the area."
"It's possible. By the time that I had to place that chip, I couldn't risk being seen too much. They seemed to be everywhere." Krissa shook her head. "Where are we staying?"
"A very discreet hotel." Nara laughed. "We arranged for a fourth room for you and we got you a bag and some extra clothes."
"After we get you off this planet, we'll meet up with Deanne and go on a long vacation." Raine slid a look to her other two friends.
"Why? All I want to do is go home and sleep in my own bed." Krissa frowned as she munched on fruit chips."
"Well, we had to take a risk getting to you. Those Feiral we told you about. We came on their ship and we stole the identity of one of their women to get you a safe passage off this planet." Gianna's voice was emotionless as she related what they'd done, but a smile curved her lips.
Raine knew Gianna and Nara were a little proud of pulling off that trick. She knew because she felt the same thing. Feiral were tricksters and fooling them was a major coup.
"You three are fucking insane. All right, I see coming on their ship. I know that had to be the only one available if you came on it, but taking one of their identities? Do you want them to come after you?" Krissa looked from one of them to the other as if she couldn't understand their thinking.
"We couldn't bring an extra identity with us, Krissa. We didn't know how suspicious they would be and it's a good thing we didn't. They searched our room and knew there was something strange about us." Raine still didn't know why they hadn't bought the story from the first. Every answer had been perfect. The only thing amiss had been their scent and that should have been easily brushed off.
Krissa just looked at them. "So are they focused on you three yet as shifters and more specifically as Feiral?"
"No, the captain's too involved with her body to put everything together." Nara gestured to Raine. "She definitely succeeded in distracting him."
"We can't count on that lasting after we use that identity and stealing one from someone on this planet comes with too many risks. They could be wanted or have their own enemies. We don't have time to research any potential enough." Raine wished there was some other option. She would have liked to just walk out of the Feiral's life and leave nothing to cause them to question, but Krissa already had people after her. They couldn't stay on this planet any longer than necessary.
"You're still insane, but I understand why you did it. So what kind of vacation and it better not involve wilderness and roughing it, because I've had enough of that." Krissa looked at the three of them.
"Well, I hadn't thought of that. When we get back into our own area and change identities we'll look into what's available." Raine shrugged. She wasn't going to count on everything going smoothly even though they'd had enough bad luck on this journey to deserve a bit of good fortune.
A beep sounded from the device at his waist, drawing Connal's attention from his search of the dirt near a group of trees. Connal lifted it free and clicked it on as he surveyed the tree line around the park. The description of the animal seen here had been too much like a Feiral to dismiss. Connal was almost certain that it had been a Feiral and that the person was still here somewhere, but there wasn't any sign of a Feiral around the park. Connal had no idea where they had gone or why.
"We have a problem, Captain," Rennick's voice sounded with no preamble.
The words were short and chopped and Connal could hear the tension. Just the fact that Rennick had called him Captain was enough to warn him that something was wrong.
"What's the problem?" Connal asked.
"We just got an alert. Sybil's identity has been used and she's still here on the ship." Rennick's voice hardened.
"Who? And what kind of use is it?" Connal paced over to a tree to make sure no one was near and could overhear the conversation.
"Well, we don't have the video from the spaceport where it was used two days ago, but someone accessed the identity information to get passage on a ship. There wasn't any attempt to get into the money available in it or even a check on it. That's why it took so long to pop on the alarms we set on it." Rennick sounded angry, but Connal knew his second-in-command. Most of that anger would be self-directed.
"Get that video. I want to see who it was and I want to know how they got her information. She hasn't even left the ship. I'll be up shortly. We've found no trace here. If there was one of us here, he's left the area without being spotted again." Connal grimaced.
He didn't want to think about the other option. If the Feiral had been fleeing from something as his being spotted on three different occasions in this park implied, then he could have been fleeing from someone. There were plenty of people who would kill a shifter simply because of what they were. They didn't need a better reason.
Connal went up to the ship and straight to where Rennick was working in one of the conference rooms they used to meet with potential clients. The light yellow walls gave the room an open feel even if they were confined in it with four or five other men intent on haggling. Rennick had a monitor on the dark brown table with an image frozen and was scowling at it. Connal knew that Rennick was angry over what could be a breach of their security, but had a feeling that wasn't the reason his friend was frowning now.
"You got the video?" Connal asked as he dropped into a seat beside Rennick.
Rennick nodded and shot a glare at the screen. "And you definitely need to see it."
Connal raised his brows but kept his attention on the screen. Any questions could wait until after he'd seen if he recognized who had used Sybil's identification. The screen flashed and he saw an image of the passenger cruiser boarding area of the space port. He watched as passengers went through the scanner, not recognizing anyone at first. He knew Rennick would tell him when the person went through if he didn't notice it.
A person moving just behind the man at the front of the line caught his eyes. Light blonde hair gleamed in the harsh overhead lights. He saw the side of a woman's face and thought she looked familiar, but she was back behind the man before he could be certain.
"I know what you're looking at and I thought the same. Just wait a moment," Rennick said.
Connal watched as the tall man stepped forward and had his bags sent through the scanners and into the loading area. He moved out of the way and Connal stared at the rounded face and golden eyes he knew so well. Her lush lips glistened wetly as she smiled at the security officers. He could only stare for a few moments.
"She used it?" Connal asked hoarsely.
"No, just watch." Rennick shook his head.
Connal did. He watched as the other two women who'd worked on the Raitan went through the scanner. They turned and waited. A woman with very pale blonde hair, light skin and clear blue eyes stepped through the scanner. They smiled and chatted with her as they walked toward the waiting area for the passenger ship. He clenched his fists and resisted the urge to throw something. He knew without a doubt who had taken the ID.
"We were used." Rennick's voice was hard.
"Yes, but it's more than that. They tricked, distracted and stole from us. Whatever game we thought we were playing with them, they won."
"I can't think of any way that they would have gotten access to Sybil's ID." Rennick stared at the screen. "They wouldn't have clearance to do it from any console and I know none of our people would have helped."
"They obviously came to get her and she knows them, but we still don't know anything more about them than when they stepped onto the ship." Connal stood. "And I'd really like to know what they are."
"They guarded their secrets well and the names they used probably won't lead us to them." Rennick looked at the screen.
"We'll have to get word out about the women just to let others know that they are out there and aren't afraid to take chances." Connal tapped his fingers on the table. "We will find them."
"I'll put out some feelers, trying to find a trace of them or who the woman they came for is. If I can discover that, we might learn what she was doing here." Rennick shrugged. "It's not going to be easy."
\*
Connal tried to keep his temper under control. Not an easy thing to do when his nerves were already taut with being in this tiny white room and with the fury pulsing through him. Feeling caged and angry, he drew in a deep breath and strove for calm. His restraint wasn't at its highest point. The official in front of him, Official Liven, had nothing to do with what had happened.
He had a good idea who was fully behind this, but unfortunately the coward wasn't going to step up and challenge him formally again. This pissed him off more than anything Everett had done before. The man had wanted to rule not only one of the ships but the entire pack of Feiral. When Connal had pinned him, he'd left. He'd done nothing but cause trouble since then. The man had hired thugs on occasion, but this situation far outstripped that.
He knew his men could take care of themselves against the attacks. The unprovoked attack on the females of the pack had pushed Connal beyond all understanding. Before this he'd tried to tell himself that Everett was young and impulsive and needed some time to mature. Now, he didn't care what Everett needed. The man was going to be lucky if he walked away alive the next time they met.
First, Connal had to find Tricia. They'd docked at the station near the planet Deveae to deliver a load of cargo. A few people had gone down to the planet for a little relaxation. It was a normal practice, but Tricia had disappeared. Sometime last night he'd discovered what the Deveaen government worked hard to keep secret. One of the major criminal industries on Deveae was kidnap for either ransom or slavery. There hadn't been a demand for ransom for Tricia.
Connal eyed the official across from him. "What is your success rate for finding the people who are taken?"
The short, balding man grimaced and shrugged. "It's not as good as we'd like. Because of the constraints of the law, our return rate is only about thirty percent."
Connal wasn't impressed. The rate wasn't good enough for him. He needed more than that. There had to be a way to better the odds of finding her.
"Is there something we can do to help increase the odds of getting her back?" Connal waited and hoped. He leaned forward in his chair and braced his elbows on the cool metal table. He wanted to be doing something active. Sitting and waiting while other people did the work was an alien concept. He hated the helpless feeling and wasn't willing to suffer it long. If the official didn't have any idea, Connal would go out and see if he could better the chances himself.
The man studied him as if he understood what Connal was thinking. "I have a list of things I'm supposed to tell you. You need to make a public appeal for her safe return. Get her face out there so that people know who she is and make her human to those who have her. Do that by all means."
"Is there something else you could tell me to do? Something that might help more?" Connal asked.
"Not really something you could do. There's someone you can contact. They've had better success with finding men and women taken by those who don't ask for ransom." The man looked at him frankly. "They're not limited as we are."
"Who are they and why would you recommend them to me?" Connal crossed his arms over his chest. Suspicion immediately rose that maybe the man received some sort of payment from these people for referrals.
"They're a group of investigators, hunters, but they're not based on Deveae. And I only recommend them to you because you're not from this planet. A citizen from Deveae would draw at the least censure for using them. All legal means have to be exhausted before off-planet help can be called for citizens." Official Liven shrugged.
Connal nodded. That alleviated some of his suspicions. "Where are they based?"
"Valcosa. Cinnia Investigations, you'll find them. They're a small group, very exclusive, but if they're available, they know enough to raise the chance of getting your friend back." Liven leaned back in his chair.
Valcosa wasn't that far away from Deveae, just two systems. He could go arrange for help from the agency while Rennick took care of the details here. He'd do what he had to do to better the chances to recover Tricia.
After talking to Rennick and telling him what was needed, Connal headed to Valcosa. The Cinnia agency wasn't housed in one of the ultra-flashy towers like he'd expected from Liven's comments about it being exclusive. He'd expected a very high-end, classy office. That wasn't what he found. It was housed in a historical building. He had to admit that it was a very beautiful building with its elegant carved lines and the green tile roof. There were two other businesses also housed in the building.
He walked up the steps. All three businesses shared a central reception area in a large, cream-colored room. An older woman sat behind a dark brown wooden desk, flanked by two lush plants. As he walked forward, he realized that these people probably worked on an appointment-only basis. He hadn't thought about it until he was striding up to the stone building. The woman with graying brown hair smiled at him as he stopped in front of the desk.
"I need to speak with someone at the Cinnia Investigations. The matter is urgent and I need immediate help." Connal gave the woman a slow smile, hoping that it would charm her into talking the investigators into speaking to him.
"I'll see if they have time to see you, sir." The woman nodded and keyed in a few things. She must have received a reply because she turned back to him. "Can you tell me what this is in reference to?"
"A...friend of mine was taken while on Deveae. We were told that this agency had success with finding and returning those kidnapped without a demand for ransom." Connal was a little frustrated by the delay. He didn't want to waste time with the formalities, but knew he had to play by the normal rules for the moment. If he had any idea what to do, he wouldn't be here. He'd be on Deveae doing it.
The woman keyed in what he'd said. "An investigator will be out here to take you back to discuss this more fully in just a moment."
Connal waited, but it wasn't long. The door on the far side of the room slid open nearly silently. He drew in a quick breath as he recognized the woman. Raine. They'd searched but hadn't found any trace of her. They'd had to settle for sending her image to the other shifters they knew. They'd hoped that someone would see her and lead them to find her and her friends. Now he realized why her identity had been so hard to trace. She did this kind of thing for a living.
"You!" The word exploded from her lips.
He knew she was gearing up either to attack or run from him. Right now, he didn't have time to do that. "I'm not here for you. Didn't know you were here. I need the kind of help your agency provides. And now that I know you and I presume your friends run this agency, I can't think of anyone more suited to help me. Aside from that, you owe me."
"Owe you! I don't owe you anything." Her expression was a combination of horror and fury.
"You used me and my crew to get you where you needed to be and you---" he began.
"Come with me," she cut him off and turned. She led the way into the offices.
He smiled and was satisfied that he'd gotten beyond the doorway. He knew that she would have shut him out if she'd had a chance. Even now, he didn't expect her to agree to help him out of concern for him. He couldn't blame her for being wary. She had to know that he'd try to find her. The woman was extremely smart and had known she wasn't dealing with a human.
She led him into an inner office. Plants were everywhere in this room. Smaller flowering plants hung from the ceiling and the larger ones stood in decorative spots around the room. The walls were the same color as the lobby, but with the color from the plants and various items on shelves and atop the desks, it didn't seem so drab.
A black-haired woman sat at one of the two black desks in the main room. She looked up as they entered and her mouth dropped open. He didn't know who she was, but she obviously knew who he was. He inhaled. All he could smell was more of that muddled scent that the women had exuded on the ship. He'd bet the woman was the same as Raine, hiding what she really was for some reason.
"He's..." The woman's voice trailed off and she just shook her head.
"I know who he is. He isn't here looking for us. He needed help so he came to find the agency. Now that he knows I'm here, he thinks I owe him something and I want to know why." Raine slashed a look at her. "You can take off if you want."
"No, I'll stay and see if you need any kind of help." The woman took a deep breath and eyed Connal suspiciously.
"Come on. We'll talk in one of the conference rooms. It will be more private and then you can tell me why I owe you. We were both playing games while I was on your ship." She swept her eyes over him and turned on her heel.
Her stride was quick, but he loved the swift swish of her hips. She was dressed in a dark gray jacket that ended just above her buttocks, a bright red shirt and dark gray pants. She should have looked business-like and maybe a little boring, but she made those clothes seem almost as sexy as her beautiful bare body. He could have watched her walking for hours, but she slid into one of the cushioned black seats at the long, glass table.
He didn't take the chair next to her although he was tempted to. He wanted to be able to see every expression on her face and that would be easier across from her. Pulling a chair out, he dropped into it. She drummed her fingernails on the tabletop for a moment as she watched him. Against the backdrop of the cream wall, she looked vivid and irritated.
"Why do you think I owe you anything? I know you probably don't come out on the losing end of things much, but it happens to everyone. That doesn't mean I owe you." She leaned back in the chair and simply watched him.
She wasn't as confident as she wanted to seem. He could hear the slight shuffle of her shoe on the carpet and her fingers twitched. She wanted to move. The nervous energy almost boiled around her. He hid a smile. As much as it pleased him to have an effect on her, he didn't want to infuriate her so much that she stormed out of the room. He did need her help and he didn't want to have to force her to do it.
"Oh, it's not only the fact that by the time I found out everything you'd done I felt like a huge fool. You used one of my packmate's identities to get your friend off that planet. She wasn't part of the little games between us. You owe me for that alone." He narrowed his eyes on her. She should know the type of scrutiny she could have brought on the real person behind that identity.
"Why in hell would you believe that? We used it once and then destroyed our copy of it. No harm done." She shook her head and looked as if she couldn't believe he was even trying to tell her she owed him for that.
"No harm. The woman you took off that planet using that identity was running from someone. I suspect she's the shifter we went there to find. The people hunting her knew what she looked like. If they had found her image and managed to connect her to the identity you used, that would have led them to us." He felt anger rise even thinking about it.
"Obviously, since you said could have, nothing did happen. They didn't track the identity back to you. They still don't know how she escaped and your packmate is safe." She folded her arms across her chest and didn't look impressed.
"Do you think I take the safety of my pack so lightly? Those people were hunting that woman. She was in danger enough to go into hiding and that you needed to risk everything to get to her. You could have easily brought that danger to my people. You owe me." He put his hands on the table and leaned forward.
She exhaled heavily. "Let's put that aside for now. Tell me exactly what happened to the woman from your pack and why you're here. More specifically, who sent you here?"
"An official on Deveae gave me the name of your agency. I'm here to see if there's a way to get Tricia back. She was at a club with a few other people from the crew. At one point during the night, someone noticed that she'd gone missing. The club was searched and we know she didn't disappear on her own. The next day, we learned of the problems on that planet." He let the subject change go without comment. Pushing her any more wouldn't get him what he needed.
"They probably asked you all the standard questions like are you sure that she didn't go off with some man for a few days of fun, right?" She tilted her head.
"Yes, and I told them that she wouldn't have done something like that without letting someone know." He nodded.
Her eyebrows lifted. "So why did you come here? Surely just having the officials searching for her would satisfy your obligation to your pack."
He tried not to get angry over that bluntly said statement. The woman obviously didn't know much about a pack, but it still made him furious. "I came here because I'm going to get her back one way or the other. Are you going to help us?"
She grimaced and he could tell that she was torn. "I'll help---"
"We'll help." The woman he'd seen in the outer office stood in the doorway.
"As I was saying, if you agree to a few a conditions, we'll help." Raine shot a significant look at the other woman.
"What conditions?" He wasn't going to quibble about them, but he did want to know what was important to her. It might give him an idea of what to start looking at to discover her secrets.
"You won't interfere when we leave after we find your packmate. This is a job to us and you will be paying us regardless of how you think we owe you. And while we're with you, you won't try to discover what we are. No searching our bags and other such sneaky maneuvers."
"If it's not because you owe me, why are you helping?" That did make him curious. He would have thought he'd have to do more to convince her.
"I've seen women and men who come out of that type of kidnapping. They're not found until a couple of years later by the authorities on planet. Even if they get sent to a person who isn't a sadistic bastard, they're never the same. No one should have to go through that." She bit her lip and he saw something flash across her eyes. It looked like pain.
"It happened to someone close to you, didn't it?" He leaned forward. Now her agreement made sense. She had a personal reason and a desire to protect others from what she'd seen happen.
She nodded. "A friend. She wasn't one of the lucky ones. She closed off from everything after that. We couldn't get through to her."
"How is she? Is she still alive?" He almost held his breath. The fear for Tricia rose again as his mind played out horrific scenes.
"She's alive, but she left the area and won't answer any contact from us. She changed everything in her life and hasn't looked back. I know that's how she's coping, but I wish we could have helped her more." Raine bit her lip.
"I'll agree to your conditions. Hopefully by the time you find her, you'll have learned to trust me a little more." He paused and then because he just had to know he asked, "Why would you think that I wouldn't do anything I had to do to get back a member of my pack?"
"Packs don't tend to be reliable in tough times in my experience." She shrugged.
"Maybe you'll see that your experience isn't necessarily the truth while you're with us." He smiled and let his eyes linger on her face.
He knew she was a shifter, but he still didn't know what type, although he had his suspicions. His persistent attraction to her for one thing. It wasn't just lust. The pull to get close to her was as strong as it had been the first time he'd seen her. The promise would prevent him from going through her things and trying to discover exactly what species she was, but he could observe and hopefully discover a few clues through that.
With any luck, while she was with him she'd see that pack life wasn't bad. He had no idea what experience she'd gone through, but it had obviously given her the impression that a pack would disappear if there was any sign of trouble. He'd have to see if he could get her to talk about that. He definitely wasn't keeping his distance from her while she was helping them. He wanted her to trust him and to see him as more than an enemy or a threat. That couldn't be accomplished from a distance.
"Where are you docked? We'll need to get our bags and meet you there." Raine looked over at him.
He wasn't letting her out of his sight. It wasn't that he didn't trust her word, but this was too important to let some accident take away the chance to find Tricia before she was traumatized too much. "I'll go with you."
"That won't be necessary. The others are bringing our bags and theirs." The other woman stood in the doorway. He hadn't even known she'd left the room, but then again he had been focused on Raine. It was always like that when he was near her. His attention centered and locked if he didn't have her in his arms.
"Theirs. No, there's no need for all of us to go. Someone should stay here and take care of the office." Raine shook her head quickly from side to side.
"You know it will be fine. If anyone's need is that urgent they can contact us through the message service. Besides if you're going back into his den to help him get his packmate back, you're not going alone." The woman folded her arms across her chest and even Connal could tell that she wasn't going to back down on this.
"We don't all need to go. We already know how to begin tracking down who has her." Raine shot a hard look at her friend.
"I'm not changing my mind and neither will they. The mission might be a little routine, but who you're with certainly isn't so you're going to have backup." She smiled as she said it, but the suspicious look in the woman's eyes told Connal that he'd have a hard time convincing her that he was going to keep his word.
Raine looked like she was going to argue but shook her head. "You're insane. You're all insane. Really, I'll be okay on my own."
"I believe I said something like that, if not those exact words, not too long ago." The woman smiled. "We're still going with you. You'll need some help."
Raine exhaled heavily. "Well, let's get a few more details and what you know before the others get here."
"Basically what I already told you. She was taken from a club." He didn't know what more she could want to know.
"No, I already know about her. Do you know if any others went missing like that in the days before she was taken and since? Do you know what they looked like? Where they were taken? If there was any sign of violence? Things like that can help us in our search." Raine's fingers ran through her hair. She wasn't happy, but she'd apparently decided not to argue.
"I don't know any of that. I know that there was no obvious sign of violence with Tricia, but nothing else." He wished he'd known the kind of information they'd need before he arrived.
"When you can, contact your people and get them on that. And tell them about the conditions. We don't want any unfortunate mistakes." She gave him a level look.
He nodded. It wasn't necessary for her to tell him that. He'd been prepared to tell his crew about the conditions. He'd deal with her honorably and not use the opportunity to learn what he could.
Her eyes held his for a moment, but then she apparently decided he was telling the truth. It didn't take long for the others to arrive. They carried bags, looked at him as if he was very dangerous and they expected him to jump at them. That did give him a little satisfaction, but he tried to hide the smile. He didn't want five women angry with him at the same time. They'd be sharing a shuttle and it could be a long ride if they were all angry.
"I know three of you, but two of you I don't have even a fake name to call you." He looked at each of the women.
"Our first names were correct. You can call them Krissa and Deanne." Raine gestured to first the blonde and then to the black-haired woman.
He noticed Raine step to the side and pull the blonde woman, Krissa, with her.
"You don't have to do this." Raine's quiet whisper just reached him.
"We're going to watch your back. You know that we hate those people as much as you do. If you're going to take another swipe at them, we're going to help." Krissa's voice was firm.
Connal looked at all of the women. They were loyal and protective of each other. Raine might not trust packs, but she'd formed one even if it was all female and relatively small. He didn't say anything about it though. It would send her into a rage and they needed to get going now that everyone had a bag.
Raine wondered if she'd stepped into some kind of nightmare. Everything felt a little unreal, although she knew that it was too damn real. It had been a surprise to see him standing in the lobby of their office. The horrible, fear-inducing kind of surprise that sent a streak of adrenaline pumping through her body. She hadn't known if she should jump at him and try to take him out quickly or run back into the office and barricade the door so they'd have time to escape. Before her numbed mind could make a decision, he'd said that he wasn't here for them.
They were just getting back to their real lives. They'd all taken a long trip to pull any searches away from their home planet if anyone had traced them that far. It was like something had led him straight to her, even though she knew it was mere coincidence. She felt a little out of her element and she didn't like it one bit.
She'd been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she'd barely noticed getting on the shuttle. No one had been too chatty. She could only remember Connal speaking once or twice. After that, he'd lapsed into silence. It wasn't even Connal's reappearance that was occupying her thoughts, although she knew it would eventually. It was the thought of the slave trade on Deveae. She could still remember Lori when they'd first found her. Gone was the vibrant, exuberant woman who barely could sit still and whose brilliance was only outshone by her enjoyment of life.
They'd discovered her in a locked room sitting on a metal chair staring at a wall. She hadn't moved when they'd burst into the cell. Naked, scarred and bruised, she hadn't even acknowledged them when they'd moved in front of her. The bastard had broken her spirit. She hadn't said a word when they'd spoken to her and they'd had to pull her out of that chair. She'd been so afraid that her "master" was testing her again. After they'd gotten her home, she'd suffered severe panic attacks and anxiety. In the end, she'd told them that because they were there in that room and had rescued her, she associated them with that time. Looking at them was a reminder that she couldn't face.
They'd vowed to do whatever they could to help others avoid that when they found Lori. That desire had only been strengthened by what had happened afterward. They'd taken almost any case concerning kidnappings on Deveae, even if the client couldn't afford to pay them. It had become a personal cause for them.
She knew the kind of people who used that service and none of them were nice. Any amount of time in their hands or even the hands of those who took the people was going to be hard to forget. She hoped they could find his crewmate before Tricia was hurt too much by it.
By the time Connal began the docking procedures, Raine felt like she was regaining some of her control. She was also beginning to think again. The shock of seeing him and of learning why he'd come to them had blinded her to almost anything else. Now her mind had begun to function and she realized that there might be more behind this disappearance.
"Do you have any enemies who'd know your people well enough to target them?" She couldn't see Connal's face and he was too busy to look back at her.
"You picked a fine time to come out of your daze, but yes, there's one. We do suspect that he had something to do with it. But we don't think he specifically singled out Tricia or any other woman. Our theory is that he somehow led them to us. We don't know how yet, but we are working on that as well as the information you wanted," Connal explained.
"I hope you're right about that. It would be better for Tricia." She grimaced.
"Better?" His tone had tightened.
"If your enemy posed as a client and they can't get their payment, that wouldn't be good. These people don't keep an unneeded subject around to wait for someone who wants that specific type. It's very much on demand and if the buyer backs out, the property, the kidnapped person, is usually killed." She didn't want to make the situation out to be worse than it was, but she also wanted him to be aware of the facts. Especially since there was some suspicion of outside interference.
"How hard would it be to set up a buy like that?" Connal asked.
"That's where you're lucky. Unless your enemy has spent over a year or so on Deveae, he probably wouldn't be able to find them. That's a very tight network of people. They don't trust easily." Deanne moved restlessly in her seat.
"So tell me about how you're going to find them." Connal glanced quickly back at them but turned his eyes back to the screen in front of him.
"It's not going to be exciting or entertaining. There's going to be a lot of boredom accompanied by a few moments of exultation. Most of the hunt will be done on a connection to the Deveae information network. When we find enough information, we'll go after Tricia." Raine idly drew her fingers over the cushioned surface of the armrest.
"Searching the information network? If you know where to look, you know where to look. About how long should this take?" He piloted the shuttle into the hanger of the Raitan.
"It's not going to be as fast as you probably think. Yes, we know where to look in a general sense. We know of at least twenty boards where the requests and replies are posted, but the actual phrasing changes regularly." Raine frowned.
"The phrasing?" Connal asked.
"It's not like they actually come out and write something like 'I want a black-haired, blue-eyed, petite woman as soon as possible'." Krissa shook her head.
"If only it were that easy." Raine fervently wished that it was. "The people who use this are a very closed group and when new code words are put in place, they pass the word among themselves. They don't let new people in easily and a lot of what they do is in code. Those boards we mentioned are private and protected. We'll have to hack into them to search them."
"And that's why the authorities can't do it. You're breaking the law." Connal turned after he'd settled the shuttle in the docking bay.
"Well, bending it at the very least, but the people we're after aren't going to report it. The things on those boards are enough to put them in prison for much longer than hacking would do us. If we were ever caught, which isn't going to happen. Besides we won't be doing this on planet. We can access their systems in space and that area of the law is still kind of undecided." Raine smiled and rose to her feet stretching a bit.
"You don't follow any rules but your own, do you?" He tilted his head. He watched her and she knew he was thinking. The man was entirely too used to people jumping to follow his commands and he probably saw it as a challenge that she didn't have to do that.
"You said you wanted her back by any means necessary and this is that means. If you mean generally, it's one of the perks of not being part of a pack. I get to make my own decisions." She grinned just because she knew it would annoy him almost as much as her words would.
"Being part of a pack doesn't mean the alpha gets to control every part of everyone's life. In most cases, just like you they do what they want. There are rules they follow, but I'd bet you have your own rules that aren't that different from what they follow. Most of it is simple common sense." He pushed the button to release the hatch and then waited as they began making their way there.
She laughed and shook her head. He couldn't convince her of that. She might have been young when it had happened, but she remembered what the alpha had been like. He'd controlled everything and everybody in that clan. She could remember the sound of his voice raised in anger because someone had done something different from what he'd said.
"I know better." She stepped off the shuttle.
"You'll have to tell me about what you know of pack life. It doesn't sound like the experience was very good. You know there are bad alphas just as often as there are bad people." He followed them out into the landing bay.
It was more than a little strange being back on this ship. She looked around the area. She saw Rennick coming toward them. She was pretty sure they didn't have a separate area set up for an information search since they'd just told Connal how they'd be searching for Tricia at first. They'd have to secure a room and start the programs as soon as possible. Getting the information quickly would allow them to get Tricia out of danger faster.
"We've arranged a room for all of them and everyone has been informed that they are guests and are here to help. They're all aware of the conditions of their cooperation and not to interfere with them in any way," Rennick said as soon as he stopped in front of Connal.
"They'll need a room set up so they can begin some information searches. They've got their own equipment. We'll have to wait to get our hands on the people behind this." Connal nodded.
"That won't be a problem. We can let them set up their equipment in one of the meeting rooms." Rennick didn't have to think very long.
"If you'll take us to the meeting room first we'll get the searches started before we put our clothes in our cabin," Raine offered before either of them could make any other plans. She knew that the time between now and when they finally had a group of names for them was going to be frustrating enough without unnecessary delay.
"We'll do that." Connal turned and smiled at her.
She'd known Connal would take an active interest in the search and how they did it. His intentions had been clear from the first and he wasn't going to take a step back. This was as personal to him as rescuing Krissa was to her. She knew he'd be a part from start to finish.
The meeting room was a good-sized room with an oval table and eight comfortable chairs. It was fitted with a nice-sized view screen and, interestingly, a couch. It seemed to be a strange combination of business formal and comfortably casual at the same time. Raine helped set up the comps and begin hacking into the databases. The codes had changed from the last time they'd done it, so they had to get a program to do that first. When she finished setting up her comp, Raine looked around and saw almost all the other women standing and waiting.
"I'll stay and monitor the hacking programs for a while if one of you will take my bag to the room and come back to relieve me in a bit," Deanne offered as she took a seat.
That didn't surprise Raine. Deanne was the best with those programs and all of the women knew it. If there were any tweaks that would make them run faster, she'd know them. Raine took her bag and nodded.
"One of us will be back up to give you a break soon." Raine looked at the others.
Connal's voice cut through the silence. "I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me tonight, Raine. I'd like to know more about how you're going to find her. What you'll be searching for on those boards. I'd also like to talk about you."
She focused her eyes on him and saw him just watching her. There was no demand in his look even though his tone of voice had been strong and decisive. He seemed to be waiting patiently for her to decide what she wanted to do. Not that she was going to think about it too much. She understood his curiosity and his need to know what was happening. Aside from that, she wanted to spend some time with him.
She was still attracted to him. A lot of the danger of being near him had disappeared, but there was still some there. She was hiding something from him and he knew it. He wasn't the type to let that go. There was also the fact that he would follow once he was free of his promise to her.
"That sounds good. I know you'll have plenty of questions. I would if I was the one who had someone missing." She didn't want him getting the idea that she'd agreed only to be with him. Although she did want to be near him, they both had to remember that this wasn't about them and they'd be walking away again as soon as Tricia was found.
He didn't say anything and she looked over to find him smiling at her. Hell, he looked amused. Not good. He wasn't buying her attitude.
"I'll give you some time to settle in and then come find you." Connal smiled and nodded.
She wasn't giving him any other reason to be amused. He was already too confident. She followed the others out of the room. If they'd been jousting again, she'd definitely lost. She'd become so flustered and it was just from the thought of being with him. She hadn't been this nervous in a long time. He wasn't a direct threat right now, but he knew too much and the fact that the desire was still as strong as it was did unsettle her.
She was still a little nervous when he came by their cabin, but she'd gotten herself more under control. She'd stopped trying to tell herself that the attraction didn't matter. That only made her more nervous because she knew it did. There was something there, more than an attraction. It felt like a connection, a future. While part of her wanted to analyze it and discover exactly what that was, she knew it was smarter and safer simply to focus on other things. She was here to find his crewmate and when that happened she'd be walking away from him.
Pack life wasn't for her. She already knew that. Whatever she felt for him would fade. While she was here, she could do her best to work him out of her system and at least now, she'd get to see the real him. Hopefully, it would show her another side of him that wasn't as attractive as what she'd seen so far. Really, she needed the unreliable alpha to come out, but she knew it wouldn't. He wasn't like the alphas she knew from what she could tell. He was trying to find a lost packmate. That already put him a step up on her mother's old pack. That alpha had walked away and left a group of women when they were at their weakest. She couldn't think of anything lower than that. The wait wasn't doing much for her disposition.
When the tone sounded, she tensed.
"Don't worry. He's not going to bite too hard," Gianna said as she walked over to the door.
"Maybe she likes to feel his teeth." Nara laughed softly from her lounging position on one of the beds.
They technically had two rooms, but they'd all gathered in one room to talk about the situation. It had been something she'd appreciated because it helped distract her from her worries. But she could do without their vast amusement over the situation. She couldn't find much funny about it.
"I think it might have been too long since I've taken you both down." She gave them both a very serious scowl just before the door opened.
"Hello, is Raine ready?" Connal smiled widely.
"Just let me slip on my shoes." Raine rose. She resisted the urge to smooth her hands down the sides of her pants. She didn't have much to hide now. He wouldn't ask any leading questions so this shouldn't be that difficult.
Connal held out his hand as she walked over to join him. She slipped her palm over his and stepped out into the hallway. Smiling up at him, she watched him through her lashes. His hand tightened. She didn't hesitate when he began walking down the hallway. She strolled beside him easily. The nervousness churning in her gut remained, but she tried to relax.
He took her to his quarters and she looked around the light green room with interest. Not much had changed. The deep blue and gold blanket on the bed certainly hadn't been here the last time. She saw a few other small things she didn't recognize. He tugged her farther into the room.
"It's a little different this time, isn't it?" he asked.
She nodded, a little relieved to find that she wasn't the only one who was unsure of what to do. "Yes, it is. Last time, I was so worried about slipping up and revealing something or making a mistake that it kept me on my guard. It was hard to appear even slightly relaxed."
"Well, you didn't give me many clues about that anxiety. You acted so naturally that at times I wondered if we were imagining there was something more to you and the other two." Connal shook his head, but he was smiling so she knew he wasn't too upset by the memory.
"You didn't make it easy for us. You were always pressing and questioning." She relaxed a little and walked over to the table.
It was set, with glasses and plates waiting, but there was no food there. Connal joined her, but only long enough to take her hand and lead her over to the couch. She took a seat, but did send him a questioning look.
"I wanted to get some of the serious talking out of the way before we eat. Our food will be brought to us a little later." He shrugged. "We do have a lot to discuss."
He was right about that. There were some serious things they needed to discuss and maybe it would be easier to do first. He was undoubtedly concerned about the search for his crewmate although that still surprised her a little. She didn't expect it of a man in the alpha position. Her memories of the alpha in her mother's pack were of a cold, unfeeling man whose only motivation was for himself and the control of everyone in his domain.
"All right, serious talk first so maybe we can enjoy our meal. Do you have a specific subject you want to discuss first?" She relaxed into her seat.
"Tricia first. What are you looking for in your searches? You said it wasn't as simple as putting in something like brown hair or green eyes." Connal sat down next to her, but angled his body so that he was able to look at her easily.
"No, they don't use anything that obvious. One time we found the clues in ads for used furniture. A blue couch for sale as well as a deep brown chair. The order of the words is switched sometimes. Hair color first, eye color second at times." She leaned back against the cushions and crossed her legs.
"Tell me more about that." His eyes locked on her and he simply waited.
"Sometimes they'll mention something like full. That usually means full-figured. There are a couple of other abbreviations that we discovered as we searched. Supple is used for lithe, slim. Usually they put in the context of 'fabric or surface is supple'. Something that would suit the purpose." She grimaced. It became harder to find the information every time.
"How did you ever find these boards?" He put an arm on the back of the couch and his fingers lightly played with the ends of her hair.
"It wasn't easy. The first time we encountered this type of kidnapping we were lost." She shook her head. "The local enforcement tipped us to the fact that it wasn't just some kidnap for hire. It took months to get the first lead and then we had to find a few people who were involved in that kind of trade."
"How did you do that? If they were that obvious, the local enforcers would have already caught them." Connal's eyes narrowed and she heard a little doubt creep into his voice.
"During that time, we'd made some friends and contacts at the local precincts. They gave us a few suggestions about who was suspected of being involved. You're right there was no solid proof, but they had certain groups whose activities made them more likely. We began with them. Most of them had nothing to do with it." She took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing heartbeat. She could remember those days. The simple memory sent a rush of the almost consuming hopelessness and helplessness that had dogged their thoughts. They'd been desperate for any information and every lead seemed to go nowhere.
"But there were a few that seemed to have a connection?" His head tilted.
"A few, but they weren't directly connected. The people who we first investigated were just associates. It took us a while to get to those with real knowledge. It was a long process. When we did find them, we did what we had to do." She uncrossed her legs and turned to face him a little more.
"What did you have to do?" He frowned.
She couldn't quite decide what expression was in his eyes. He wasn't only curious and it wasn't disapproval. Maybe it was a little of both. She didn't know what his "anything" was. For her, it had been just that. It didn't matter what she had to do to find the information needed to free her friend.
"A little undercover work dealing with people who made my skin crawl, a few well-placed listening devices and some time breaking into the private information. After that, we just kept at it until we had the facts we needed," she said as she traced patterns on the cushion between them
"You learned all the information from those first people?" He took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze.
"No, those people led us to others and we learned from them too." She sighed. At that point, they still hadn't been sure where they'd find valuable information and it had taken a little while to hit upon the boards, but when they'd discovered them, the investigation had opened up.
"How is it that these people don't know that you get onto their boards and use the information there?" His finger brushed over her knuckles.
She wasn't sure if that action was meant to soothe her or just because he wanted to hold her hand. Not that she minded the contact. Talking about that time brought up some hard memories and some even more difficult feelings. She still felt guilty over how long it had taken to find Lori. Even knowing they'd all done their best, she couldn't help thinking about what she could have done differently that would have changed things.
"They take all the security measures possible, but no site is a hundred percent safe and the only ones they absolutely want to keep out of there are the authorities. So they keep their profile low. We make sure they can't trace us back to it." She didn't want to sound like it was very easy. It wasn't, but half the reason those sites were so hard to find was that the members wanted the privacy of anonymity.
"So how do you find the people who actually buy the women?" He sounded doubtful.
"Once we find the ads on those boards, it's all about the money. We trace it from the seller to the buyer. They don't transfer it from one bank to another, but the accounts lead us to the person behind it. We're hoping that there won't have been a lot of victims with the same looks as Tricia." Raine exhaled heavily. "You did get that information, didn't you?"
"It's being compiled." He nodded. "You're using programs to break their security. Why won't they have those boards protected against it? Most programs like that are widely used."
"Not the ones we use. The programs we use were designed and kept up to date by Deanne. She's amazing with that kind of thing. It's not really my area of expertise, but all of us have had to learn to at least troubleshoot it." She shook her head. That kind of work gave her a headache on most days. She'd much rather be doing something active.
"Now I feel I understand a little more about what you're going to be doing. You must have been almost out of your mind with worry when you were searching for your friend. You had no one you could turn to for help." He shook his head.
She stared up at him. He'd surprised her. She really hadn't expected that level of empathy from him. He really wasn't living down to her image of alphas and that scared her. He wasn't cold or distant. The man seemed to genuinely care about the people in his pack. She already was pulled to him and liked him. She didn't want to have any of the other barriers lifted between them.
First, because she was half afraid that if she started to believe that there was a chance for them that he'd turn out to be as bad as the others. It would be almost as bad if he wasn't. She didn't want to change her life. She wasn't even sure that what was between them was more than sexual. If she took the chance of revealing herself and found out he was like all other men in power, it would be too late. He'd come after her with a vengeance. And that tied in with her second reason. The man was aggressive in building his pack. She didn't want him chasing her just because he'd discovered she was Feiral. It was contradictory, but if he came after her she didn't want it to be because he felt she needed to be protected or because he wanted to add her to his pack.
"We weren't as subtle or as even-tempered with the people we met as we normally would be." She shrugged. That had been putting it mildly. They hadn't gone beyond what they normally considered moral. It hadn't been because of any great amount of control on their part. No, they'd just been lucky that the situations hadn't gotten out of hand.
"No one would be. Now that we've managed to talk through most of the immediate matters, I'll call down and have them bring our meal. We can talk some more after we eat. Maybe you have some questions of your own." He rose from the couch.
She did have some questions. He was right. A break would do them both good. She wanted a little distance from the memories and emotions that had risen during their discussion. She hadn't really thought about some of that stuff in a long time. Pushing it away and focusing on something else was easier.
The conversation during the meal was light and about nothing pressing. It provided a buffer between the heavy subject that had occupied them before and what she hoped was something more invigorating than unnerving. By the time they'd finished eating, she'd relaxed enough to think of a few important questions of her own about the situation with Tricia.
She took her glass with her as she walked back over to the couch. He followed and slid onto the cushion beside her. She could tell he was calmer. She wasn't as tense now either. Just getting past the initial awkwardness had done more than she'd expected, but there were a few questions to be asked before they got to more than casual touches. She already felt the urge to get closer to him. Since they were alone in a room and there weren't likely to be any convenient interruptions, it wouldn't be long before any thought of questions went right out of her mind in favor of renewing her acquaintance with his gorgeous body.
His arm slipped naturally over her shoulders. She resisted the urge to lean into him, but did put her hand over his other hand where it rested on his thigh. She wanted to let him know that she wouldn't be backing away from the building desire between them, but at the same time keep him at a little distance.
"I have a few questions of my own now. The man you think arranged for one of your females to be captured, did you catch him or even see him here?" She looked into his brown eyes, but it wasn't to try to catch him in a lie. When she was looking into those depths, she could almost believe that there was some kind of connection between them.
"We haven't seen him and no, we can't be really sure that he was behind it. He's just caused so much trouble that it's not a big leap to think that he'd find a way to cause more." He grimaced. "He's hired assassins so this wouldn't be a stretch for him."
"Do you have an image of him that we could use? Do you know how he'd be traveling? Is he connected enough to use a private shuttle or is he going the commercial route?" She tilted her head. Hiring assassins was definitely over the nuisance level where she'd first placed him.
"The few times we've been able to track him, he was traveling as someone's guest on a commercial cruiser. He likes the luxury treatment and he's not above lying and tricking others." Connal's voice deepened and she could see the disapproval on his face.
"All right, we'll try to find out if he's even on the planet. If he is, there's only a few spots where he could have met someone associated with those groups. If we can find out where that happened, it could help narrow down the search after we've found the particular ad or ads that might have been focused on her." She actually hoped the man wasn't on the planet. Finding he was here could split their focus or lead them in a wrong direction. Time wasn't something they could afford to waste.
"Why is he angry enough to send assassins after you and for you to suspect him of having a hand in this?" She tilted her head.
"He's young, but he's hot-headed and feels that he has the right to lead this group of Feiral. He challenged me and lost. He left the pack, but he's been trying to get rid of the people he feels are in his way. It's not only me." Connal's eyes hardened. "He didn't start with sending assassins. At first, he tried sabotaging some of our trade contracts. I think he hoped that some of the others would lose faith in me and take his side of the issue, but when that didn't work, he started sending people at us."
"A dangerous man." She was a little surprised at how openly he was talking about his pack with her. He knew she'd been aware that he was a shifter, but she'd really expected him to be more guarded about the things that went on within his pack. She'd thought she'd have to badger and pry to get even basic details.
"He'll be stopped. If we find out for certain that he's behind this and that he's still on the planet, he'll be stopped soon." He sounded very certain.
"If we find him on the planet, that's something you can take care of yourself. We'll be busy enough with tracking the buyers." She shrugged.
"We'll do that. He's given us enough trouble that there are a few of us who wouldn't mind getting our hands on him after what he's done." Connal smiled. "Any more questions? I've been wondering for a while if it's only the intensity of our meeting that makes me want to take you to bed whenever I see you."
She could tell just from the tone that he was teasing. "Maybe it's just the danger."
He laughed and using the arm behind her shoulders tugged her closer. "It could be. I haven't felt on even footing since I met you."
Raine laughed and relaxed against him. She'd needed that. All the focus on the questions and the situation with Tricia had sidetracked her for a little while, but she had been very nervous about how he was going to treat their attraction and how she should deal with it. They hadn't exactly met and felt an undeniable attraction. They'd both played risky games to keep the other at a distance. Until he'd come back, she'd thought that maybe it simply was the danger fueling the pull she'd felt toward him. Now she knew it wasn't that. She was still as nervous as hell. He knew where they lived and before they left the ship they'd have to make some hard decisions, because he would be coming after them regardless of what breed of shifter he believed them to be.
"It feels good to hold you again." His words were muffled against her neck as his teeth grazed the cord of muscle where her throat and shoulder joined.
She had to agree. Being back in his arms felt wonderful. Almost the moment his arms closed around her, the tension began easing from her body. She slipped her arms around his waist and held on content for the moment just to be near him. That scared her a little even more than the pull she felt toward him. She didn't know him and he wasn't someone she could have in her life and walk away from later.
"Whatever you're thinking about, stop it. It's making you all tense again." His hand smoothed down her back in a slow, soothing motion.
"Is that an order, Captain?" She leaned back and arched a brow at him.
"No, just a suggestion. I don't want to fight with you and whatever you're thinking about isn't improving your mood." He kissed his way up her neck.
She had to admit he had a point. Thinking about what her feelings meant was making her edgy and irritable. It wasn't something she could easily stop doing though, because she didn't see anything about the situation changing soon. He was the leader of a pack. That wasn't going to change. She'd seen the worst side of pack life and couldn't see herself changing her mind about it now.
"Maybe you need to find something that will distract me from those thoughts. Do you think you can handle that?" She looked up at him through her lashes and put just enough questioning in her tone to challenge him. From their last time together, she knew he responded very well to challenges.
His smile grew even wider and he tugged her into his lap. "I know I can do that."
She drew her hand up his chest. She loved the slight growl in his voice. It sent a delicious curl of heat shooting through her. The fabric was getting in her way, but she didn't intend to let that stop her for long. Her hands slid down to his waist and gripped the bottom of his shirt. She got it as far as his chest before his arms hindered her progress.
"You're not making this easy." She tugged a little harder just to let him know she was trying to do something there.
"I'm supposed to be distracting you and you're jumping ahead." He slipped his hand underneath her shirt.
His thumb traced circles at the base of her spine. Just that, his hand didn't slip to any of the obvious erogenous zones, yet the sensation low in her belly tightened. She felt those lazy circles echoed in her pulse. Drawing in a slow breath, she tried to calm herself. She hadn't expected it to feel this intense in spite of the fact that her attraction to him was so strong.
"I didn't say I was just going to passively wait for you to make a move. I have a few wants of my own, but if you don't get to work, I might begin to think and who knows what I'll decide to do. I might decide that I'd be better off doing something other than staying in your room with you." She teasingly wriggled in his lap just to remind him that she could decide to leave.
"You might? I don't think so." His teeth grazed her earlobe.
She grinned as his arms lifted and he allowed her to tug his shirt over his head. Once she saw the expanse of his golden chest, she was satisfied for the moment. She did wish he'd stop lazing around. It wasn't that she didn't want to think. She'd do that later. Now she wanted to feel and savor the desire rising within her. Part of her had wanted to jump on him immediately, but she'd held back from that. This time, she didn't have to worry about questions in the middle of their lovemaking. He'd promised and she trusted him to keep his word.
He drew his hand up her back. He tugged at the neckline of her shirt, moving it out of his way as his mouth roamed over her neck and shoulder. This was far better than any of the fantasies and dreams she'd had after they'd left the Raitan. Even though she was a little afraid that he'd find them, she'd been unable to stop thinking about him. She'd tried to attribute it to nervousness about the future, but that didn't quite ring true even then.
Her fantasies had run the gamut from soft and tender to wild and untamed. Just thinking about him had been enough to get the first tendrils of excitement curling through her. Actually having him here and touching her was setting live energy running over her skin. Drawing her tongue over the spot just above his heart, she slowly worked her way down. She hoped he felt just as excited and aroused by it as she did. The increased rate of his heartbeat and his breaths did give her a little reassurance in that area.
"Your lips feel good. Touch me more." His voice sounded a little rougher than normal.
It wasn't how she'd thought he'd distract her, but if this was his plan it was working. His slowness made her want to push him and make him so wild for her he couldn't stay calm and controlled. She'd expected him to react to her challenge with a fierce kiss that drew all her thoughts from everything except him. Maybe even draw a little of the alpha from him. She'd like to see and feel that. It was as if he'd challenged her and she couldn't let that pass.
She let her hands flow down the sides of his ribs as she traced circles around the flat darkened skin of his nipples. She felt his muscles tighten beneath her hands and smiled. She wanted to draw more than that from him. He still seemed way too calm and unaffected.
She trailed her hands inward but kept her fingers above his waistband. She wanted to push him without doing the obvious. She knew from experience that leaving him wondering when she'd touch his cock would push his desire even higher than a firm stroke over that hardened ridge. Her nails scraped as she traced a meandering path back up to his ribs.
He tensed. His lips dragged over her neck. She felt the scrape of his teeth over her jaw. She shivered and arched her neck to give him better access. He dropped kisses along her cheek. Even better. She wanted to feel his mouth on hers. She turned her head a little and his lips brushed against hers.
His tongue slipped between her lips and he kissed her hungrily. She leaned into him but kept her hands moving over his sides and muscled stomach. She loved his taste and sank into the kiss, wanting more of it. She felt his hands trail down her back and then felt the heat of his palms as they slipped beneath her shirt. She wished he'd already peeled her out of it. She'd like to rip the last of his clothes off too. The barrier between them irritated her. She wanted to feel his full body against hers flesh to flesh.
He pushed the material up slowly. Too damn slowly. She broke the kiss and grabbed the bottom of her shirt and took it off herself. She wasn't in the mood to wait for him to get around to it. When her hands went to her bra, he stopped her.
"Don't get impatient. I'll do that." He nipped at her lips.
She gasped at the small sting, but her breath seemed to lock in her throat when his hands cupped her breasts. Even through the fabric of her bra she felt the heat of his palms. His hands moved in slow circles. The pressure was light, but the slight scrape over her sensitive nipples sent sparks straight down to the building desire in her belly. He hadn't even taken her bra off yet and she was panting for more.
He teased and tormented. His hands grazed in light circles and then brushed over with a little more pressure, but never seemed to be what she needed. Her hands slipped down to his waist and she tried to tug him closer. She wanted to feel the heat of his chest against hers and his hard muscles pressing close. She knew he had to feel the edge of her nails digging into him but he didn't so much as flinch. Her breasts felt swollen and the bra felt too tight and abrasive. She wanted out of it, but he'd already stopped her from taking it off once. She was fairly sure he'd do it again.
She scraped her teeth over his lips. The man was moving too slow. She groaned and let her hands wander. If she couldn't get him to move his hands one way, maybe she could push him to do it another way. Her hands molded over his buttocks before smoothing over the material molding his thighs and around to the front. She felt the muscles beneath her fingers tense and heard his indrawn breath as her fingers trailed inward. She'd gone past enjoying his subtle and toying touches and was willing to do anything to get him to appease the aching need pulsing through her. His thumbs brushed over the hardened beads of her nipple. She gasped at the sensation that zipped straight down to her core. She trailed her fingers along the ridge of his cock clearly outlined by his snug pants.
His hands slipped around her back and he hauled her close. She reveled in the hard press of his chest against hers, but before she could savor the sensation too much, he rose to his feet, holding her tight against him. She felt the release of her bra. The sudden shift in position grabbed her attention. By the time she focused on him and the wonderful friction again, he was lowering her to the bed.
He pulled away from her clutching hands and pulled off his shoes and pants. He was naked when he once again approached the bed. She reached for him, but he brushed her hands aside and unfastened her pants with a few quick flicks of his fingers. In moments he'd stripped them down her legs. He took them off along with her slip-on shoes. He gave them a toss as he climbed onto the bed. She didn't care where they landed. Her attention was fully on him. She reached for him. Her hands brushed over his arms, but she was drawn back to those flat, dark nipples. She plucked at one hardened peak and then the other. He growled. She grinned at the reaction. It only made her want to draw more of a response from him.
"I know you like that done to you too." His head lowered and his teeth scraped along her jawline.
His eyes were narrowed and she couldn't mistake the sexual challenge in them. He wasn't going to let her play alone. His hand cupped her breast, shaping it gently in his strong palm. The tip of his thumb grazed her nipple. She gasped. He was right. She loved the feel of his hands on her breasts.
"I like that and a lot more. Are you going to do anything about it? Or are you going to let me seduce both of us again?" She didn't bother to try to hide her grin. She wanted him to feel challenged.
His thumb flicked back and forth across her nipple in response and his eyes locked on her face. She knew he was noting every response. It didn't make her nervous. It made her feel wanted.
"I thought it was a good plan. I didn't have to worry about scaring you away by being too aggressive and you got what you needed." He shrugged, but his thumb kept brushing across the taut nipple.
Each pass sent a dart of sensation curling through her body. She clenched her fists. Coherent conversation wasn't easy considering how much she wanted him, but she needed to respond to that. She didn't want him to think that a little aggressive lovemaking would send her for the door.
"You think I would have run? After what happened the last time I was on this ship? That was the stuff of nightmares, Connal. Always having to be on guard so that I didn't inadvertently slip and say something that could lead you to us. You can't know how much I wanted to relax and just let things go." She shook her head and smoothed her hand up to his shoulder. That scene in his rec room hadn't exactly been tame. If she'd been the scared-of-aggressiveness type, she'd have done everything possible not to see him again after that.
"So nothing I do could scare you." He didn't sound convinced, but then again he wasn't stopping. His fingers plucked at her nipple.
"I don't know about that, but a little forcefulness isn't going to make me back away. In fact it's what I expected from you from the first." She lifted a shoulder and drew her hand back down his chest.
He laughed and seemed to relax. "How about we give that a test?"
She laughed as he grabbed one of her wrists and pinned it above her head. Not at all fazed, she used her free hand to stroke down his side and gave one of his butt cheeks a good squeeze. Now it was getting interesting. She arched her body and rubbed her foot along his calf. She wanted to give him plenty to think about and let him know that she wasn't going to be running out of the room screaming any time soon.
His body arched, pressing her down into the bed and letting her feel the weight of him. She loved it. She lifted her head and dropped kisses along his jaw. His head turned and his mouth claimed hers fiercely. Her fingers threaded through his hair, trying to hold him close, but he didn't even seem to notice when he lifted his head. He moved lower and kissed his way from her neck to her shoulder.
She drew in a shaky breath as his tongue traced a teasing path up her breast. He seemed to know just how to touch her to send her higher. His hand pressing hers down into the bed caused a rush of excitement through her. She felt a little out of control, but gloried in it.
"Let's see how ready you are." His breath puffed over her nipple as his free hand traveled down her stomach.
His tongue circled the taut nipple. Her hand clenched in his hair. She ached to feel his mouth on her, but her attention was split between his mouth and the hand wandering down her stomach. She knew he was going to touch her pussy, but the wait was making her crazy. His mouth closed over her nipple at the same moment that his fingers parted the lips of her pussy. His fingers brushed over her clit and she arched at the jolt of sensation.
"You're wet and your inner muscles are clenching at my fingers." Two of his fingers slipped into her.
She gasped and her nails dug into his neck. "I want you."
"I did get that impression." He scraped his teeth over her nipple. "I love your breasts."
She didn't doubt that. The way he touched her and kissed her told her he more than liked being with her. She stroked her fingers over his shoulder as he rose. He moved between her legs and hooked an arm underneath one of her knees. She eagerly lifted up into him as his cock brushed against her thigh. He fitted the head against her entrance and then slowly pushed into her. His body was stiff and she could see the tension in his eyes and the slight film of perspiration on his body. When his hips pressed against hers, he held completely still for a few moments and drew in a couple of slow breaths.
She wriggled beneath his weight. She needed him to move. She loved the feel of him inside her, but that wasn't enough. It only made her hungrier, because she knew that what she craved was so close. His mouth slanted across hers in a fierce claiming. She responded with just as much demand. Her free hand held him to her as she strained to move and get closer to him.
He groaned and his hips ground against hers. With her leg over one of his arms, it allowed him to go deeper than before. Every move he made seemed to push her higher. She couldn't understand how it could seem so right. He withdrew and moved against her in a hard grinding rhythm. Her hips rose into each stroke. The need swirled and built and she felt as if she was on the edge. His chest rubbed against the sensitive tips of her breasts. She gasped, her body straining toward the pinnacle.
He gripped her hips and rolled with her until he was on his back. He released her wrist. His hands guided her hips in a slow rocking motion for a few moments before he drew her down so that he could raise his head and take her breast into his mouth. He sucked and scraped his teeth over the taut peak. Her hips gyrated against his. His hand slipped down and managed to slide between their bodies as her hips rose. His fingers found her clit and began stroking in slow circles. Her eyes closed. She moved faster and faster as the heat inside her rose. The feel of his teeth closing around her nipple in a playful nip sent a starburst of sensation through her. Pleasure exploded, flowing outward until even the tips of her fingers tingled with it. His hips punched up again. A low groan rumbled against her breast as he came. His mouth slid away from her breast. His hips continued moving against her and the friction sent sparks of pleasure dancing up her spine. She collapsed onto his chest, as her hands swept in slow idle strokes along his arms. She could hear his heartbeat slowing gradually.
As she calmed, she realized that she hadn't been the only one who'd felt a little freer this time. He'd actually growled at her. He hadn't done that before. He'd been just as careful as she had to keep that side concealed. It seemed strange after all of the time they'd spent trying to keep their secrets. The new openness made her more than a little nervous.
Raine walked down the hallway to the room where they had set up the search. In the two days since they'd arrived, they'd made some progress, but as always it seemed slow and to come in little spurts. The men had found Everett disembarking on the planet, but so far they hadn't found any trace that he'd been near the places necessary to encounter the people in the slave trade.
He'd been to the upper end, very public clubs with the woman he'd accompanied. Those weren't the types of places where anyone even minorly connected would listen to a stranger. Most of the time they'd think they'd been targeted by the authorities if that happened. She didn't know how the man was supposed to have known that this kind of trade occurred much less who to contact. The Deveaen government worked hard to keep the news of abductions out of the media. They'd succeeded only because no one influential had disappeared or had any contact with it. Any stories that did make it were quickly squashed and denied as unsubstantiated rumors or outright lies.
She didn't doubt that Everett would cause trouble for Connal and the other Feiral on the Raitan, but she honestly didn't think that he'd intended to cause it in this way. He'd arrived barely a day before Connal and the others had come to the planet. It wasn't really enough time to get into contact with the right people, gain their trust. That wasn't even mentioning the fact that Everett couldn't have known who'd be coming down to the planet or if they'd even stop long enough. From what she'd been able to learn, it was a last-minute decision to layover here instead of on the next planet because of some problems there.
Getting them to see that wasn't going to be easy. It wasn't that Connal and the other men of this ship were paranoid. Everett had caused trouble for them in the past and would probably do it again in the future. Raine didn't think they understood how difficult it was to find the people involved in the trade. Even if Everett had stumbled across someone in that business, he wouldn't have known it. They hid their involvement. They didn't flaunt it and they didn't brag.
Now she just had to convince Connal. She knew he'd be in the conference room. She walked into the room. Connal stood over by the table looking at one of the screens. They'd moved a few more comps into the room so that they could cross-reference any places they'd tracked Everett to against the places known as common meeting places for the slavers and those who provided the service for them.
Stopping just inside the room, she took a moment to savor the picture of him standing near the table and looking at the screen in front of one of his men. He was gorgeous. She admired the way his dark blue pants cupped his buttocks. His white shirt had a dark blue edging. It was as close to a uniform as she'd seen him or any of the others wear. The dress on this ship was amazingly casual. Most people wore something blue and whatever style of clothing they wanted as long as it suited the job.
He smiled, but his look was a little assessing. "You've been delegated to talk some sense into us about the Everett situation haven't you?"
"Yes, but I at least expected to have to bring up the issue. I didn't expect you to do it." She stopped at the edge of the table, frowning.
His confronting her about it wasn't part of the plan. She'd thought to work around to the subject and have him agreeing before he knew she was trying to talk him into believing what she wanted. This could make things a little more difficult than she'd expected.
"I'm not blind. I've seen the looks and heard the groans every time we bring over an image to reference against the known slavers or want to know if a location we've tracked Everett to is a place where the information could be passed." He shrugged and sat in one of the chairs, leaned back and gave her a long look. "Now tell me why you don't think we should worry about Everett."
"I know Everett's a problem for you and probably planned to make trouble of some sort, but I haven't seen any evidence or even a possible way for him to be involved in Tricia's kidnapping." She walked around the table and dropped into the chair next to him. She could see the alpha staring out at her now, demanding that she make her case. It was a little intimidating and very definitely a strange position for her to be in.
"He's more than a problem. He's become a threat even if he had no part in this, but I'm not convinced that he isn't involved in some way." He turned to fully face her.
"That's what I'm going to try to do. We need to focus on the real problems and I'm sure Everett is actually going to try something, but he hasn't done it yet." She stressed the last few words.
"I haven't heard anything convincing yet." He relaxed back in the chair.
"Do you try to be annoying?" She shook her head.
"Give me your reasons," he said flatly.
She rolled her eyes. The man was good at giving orders. It was probably one of the reasons he was the Natahl, but she wasn't one of his people. She wanted to make him see that she wouldn't follow his every order, but now wasn't the time. Convincing him that Everett wasn't involved was going to be hard enough without throwing down that kind of gauntlet. She could almost hear the argument that would start.
"We'll start with all of the coincidences. He got here almost a day before you did. You've got to admit that's not much time for him to make contacts here. There's also the fact that according to some of your people you weren't scheduled to stop here longer than it took to unload your cargo. Everett somehow knew that you'd layover here. How would he know that? Is someone on your ship in contact with him?" She drummed her fingers on the table.
"No one was in contact with him. And you're right that the stop wasn't planned." He nodded. "Is there more?"
She exhaled slowly. "Yes, there's more. How convincing is your man? Could he do in just a day what it took us months to do? And we knew what we were looking for and had some actual idea of who to target. Not to mention the fact that he had no idea who would be going down to the planet if anyone would."
"You think we're giving him too much credit for planning this." Connal's head tilted and she could see he was thinking about it.
"I think he had plans, but not here. You should look a few stops ahead from Deveae in my opinion. Where would you be now if this hadn't happened? He'd made plans to leave, but didn't. I think he's staying because you're here." Raine had no idea what the man could be thinking to stay around here unless he was hoping to take advantage of an opportunity that might present itself.
"And you think Tricia being taken in that club was just a coincidence." Connal raised an eyebrow. She could tell that he didn't believe that the answer was so simple.
"It does happen and in this case I think it's more like she just happened to be in the wrong place." Raine kept her voice calm and reasonable. She admitted she didn't like having her reasons questioned. This wasn't the first time she'd had to justify her beliefs to a client, but it wasn't easy. His attitude grated and the way he just sat there expectantly made her hackles rise.
"Why do you think it's more likely that she happened to be where these people were hunting for the right kind of girl than someone led them to her?" Connal asked.
"A lot of it has to do with how your people ended up at that place. They weren't led there. It isn't a popular tourist spot. They heard about it in another club when no one even knew there was someone close enough to hear. It's a place where the locals go." She tried to see if he was even really listening. She knew that sometimes people only heard what they wanted to hear and in those cases talking was a waste of time.
He took a deep breath and grimaced. "And they would have wanted to target locals over someone from off-planet. It would draw more attention on to them and people from off-world can use resources other than those on the planet."
"There's also the fact that those from off-world are likely to have someone who will look for them. Most of the time zealously. I was amazed at how some of the families on-planet acted. It was as if it was something normal to them. Not all of the families reacted that way, but I don't think I could ever take the disappearance of someone I loved that casually." She shook her head as she recalled the matter-of-fact responses of some of the people. They'd seemed numb to the fear and horror of having a loved one simply disappear.
"Are there any other reasons why you think Everett couldn't be behind it?" His eyes ran over her.
Heat sizzled over her as his eyes drifted lower even though that look wasn't overtly sexual. It really wasn't time to be thinking like this, but just looking at him sometimes made her mind wander. It wasn't that he was handsome, even though he was. He drew her and she wanted to get close to him. Not only for sex, but to get to know him. She pulled in a deep breath and forced her thoughts back to the present.
"I just want to remind you of one thing. It took us months to get to even the minor players in that group. We had a few clues about where to look thanks to a few officials on Deveae. Do you think Everett had even that much information considering how quiet the officials keep this crime?" She tilted her head. If what she'd said hadn't convinced him only solid proof would do it.
"I can understand part of your reasons behind your belief. I'm concerned by his continued presence on the planet and we're not going to stop looking into that." He frowned and leaned back in his chair. "We'll still need you and the others to check for known associates at times. You've voiced your concerns. Go find something to do. You're not on duty now and I'm sure you have other things to do than looking over our shoulders."
The tone and the way he immediately turned his attention back to the screen in front of him said that was an order he expected to be followed. Her eyes narrowed and her vision funneled down to just him. She had to fight the urge to stalk over to him and take a swing at him. She did walk over to him, but only after she'd taken a few deep breaths and calmed down a little. She stopped in front of him.
"Stick to ordering your people around, Captain Drevan. I'm not one of them. You're a client and we're here to search for your crew member. Just don't get in our way or delay us with your stubborn blindness. While you're doing your looking, you might want to figure out where he is planning to target you if he does take the chance and come at you here." She whipped around and left before he could say another word. If he came out with another one of those orders or said something condescending, she would hit him.
\*
"You're falling for him, aren't you?" Gianna asked.
Raine looked up and found her friends staring at her. They had all gathered in one of the rooms and most of them sat on the beds talking, but Krissa and Deanna had each taken one of the chairs. Deanna had her feet propped on the end of the bed. It was the first time they had been all together since they'd arrived on the ship. The men were watching the search programs now since they were doing routine searches. If anything happened, the men would call. It was good to be together, but she couldn't get her mind off Connal.
It was a hard question to answer. In some ways, she was drawn to him and wanted to know everything about him, but in others, she couldn't wait to get as far away from him as possible. She didn't have an answer for her friend. Confused and still angry over the scene earlier today, she shrugged. Hell, she hadn't even seen him since she'd walked out of the conference room. She didn't know how he'd taken her words or what he felt.
"You're not getting away with that, Raine. Talk. When you two get near each other, it's impossible to miss the attraction between you. It rolls off both of you in waves." Gianna moved over to sit on the edge of the bed.
"I don't know what I feel, other than a little panic." Raine shook her head and wrapped her arms around one of her bent legs as she leaned back against the wall.
"Because you're afraid or because of something else?" Nara asked. She had parts of a little handheld comp spread out in front of her, but Raine knew that she'd heard and noticed everything that went on around her.
She grimaced. In a way, she didn't want to get too deep into that, but she knew she had to face it. The panic and the fear weren't going away on their own.
"I am afraid, but there is more to it. I don't know if I trust my judgment when it comes to him. The pull is so strong. It's not the sex that scares me. If that was all it was, I wouldn't worry about anything. It's my feelings." Raine took a deep breath, but even talking about it wasn't helping much.
"You feel like you can trust him, but your mind tells you that you can't trust him because he's part of a pack. In your case, he leads the whole freaking thing," Gianna said quietly.
Raine looked at her friend. She'd been so wrapped up with her own anxiety that she hadn't realized that Gianna was in much the same situation with Terrell, one of the engineers on the ship. The man had been almost as intent in his pursuit as Connal had been.
Raine nodded. "The conflict is wrenching and I hate the feeling. Part of me is almost frozen by the choices. If I make the wrong decision, it could ruin everything. There's a part of me that thinks that if I do nothing, I could miss something special. Then there's the part that thinks that's insane and that letting him close will just lead to pain and disappointment, but I want to savor every moment I have with him."
"Sounds like more than attraction, Raine." Deanna's voice was quiet and steady. "It sounds like you're beginning to love him."
Raine swallowed hard. "His kind doesn't do love. He's very in tune with the Feiral within. He'll want his biological mate and nothing less. Feelings for another woman won't stop him from claiming the woman who's his true mate. I can't discover if he's my mate unless I get the drug out of my system and by that time it would be too late, he'd know and he wouldn't ever let us out of his sight. That's not even taking into account the fact that I'd be revealing your secrets too. I won't do that."
"I don't want to do the big reveal myself," Gianna volunteered. "I feel like such a wimp for simply letting things continue as they are."
"Yeah, you want to do something, but you don't know what to do that won't either reveal everything we're still hiding or completely push him away. I don't want to do either of those." Raine felt a little better at Gianna's admission. Simply knowing she wasn't the only one who felt lost gave her some comfort. She still needed answers though. Letting the situation remain as it was would be almost as bad as either of the extremes.
"Well, both solutions would be a little drastic at this point, but you could steal something of theirs to take with us when we leave so that you'll know for sure one way or the other. I know it doesn't give you any clue about what to do now." Krissa brushed her hair back over her shoulder as she came to sit on the edge of the bed.
"Stealing a piece of clothing wouldn't be as easy as it sounds. And how would I explain it if I was caught? I don't even have a small bag to carry so I could stash it. I'd have to tuck it under my own clothes and could easily be caught." Gianna laughed, but there was little humor in the sound.
"And I'm pretty sure that it wouldn't take Connal much time to decipher why I'd be trying to smuggle out a small piece of his clothing. He's not stupid and he has a strong suspicion that we're shifter already. If he caught me, he'd be fairly certain what I was." Raine shook her head, but the idea had been planted and she couldn't stop thinking about it. Once they were away from the ship and the men, she'd know for sure if she was walking away from her mate if she could do it. She wasn't sure what she'd do about it if she did find out he was her mate. There was still the fact that he was part of a pack.
"Now are we going to spend all night in here and let Connal think that you're sulking or are we going out and have as much fun as we can on this ship?" Nara finished putting the last few pieces of the small device back together.
"I am not sulking. I'm angry, but we can go do something. It's almost time to eat. Let's start with that and then we can decide what else we want to do." Raine shook her head at her friend. She knew what Nara was trying to do. The woman wanted to nudge her with that challenge. "I'm not making the first move. He was an ass. He can do it."
Nara laughed. "He was doing what he thought was best to protect his people."
Raine didn't completely buy that although she wouldn't dismiss it as one of his reasons. "He doesn't want to admit that he's wrong, but I'm not going after him."
"He could be more stubborn than you are. If he is, any chance of getting anything of his to take with you will be gone," Krissa offered quietly.
"Won't happen. The attraction's too intense. One of us will give in before then even if it is on the last day we have together." Raine grinned. That was one thing she was certain of. She just didn't want to give up on him making the effort before the first night had even passed.
"You sound confident of that." Deanne grinned as she rose from the chair and stretched.
"I'm just realistic about how much I want the man. I'm hoping that the pull is as strong for him as it is for me." Raine shrugged.
"You haven't seen the way he looks at you when you're not watching." Nara rose and walked over to put a hand on Raine's shoulder. "He wants you just as much, if not more, than you want him."
"I'd like to see that, but we'll have to wait and see if he makes some kind of move or leaves it up to me." Raine rose and slipped into some shoes. "Who's hungry?"
"Well, I'm a little hungry, but you know, I don't think it's going to be a peaceful meal." Gianna cast a look over at Raine.
"Hey, I'm not going to start anything." Raine gave her best innocent look, but she knew no one would believe it.
"You've already started it and now you're insisting that he be the one to finish it," Nara teased.
"He started it by being so arrogant and condescending." Raine felt her lips twitch.
"Did not." Deanna tugged Raine's hair as she went by on her way to the door. "You went in there ready for battle."
"Of words about the man he suspects of being behind this. He could have left it there, but no, he had to go and dismiss me like a servant." Raine narrowed her eyes at her grinning friend.
"Did you have to say what you said to him?" Nara asked.
"Yes, I'm not a member of his crew and he won't treat me like one. He can order them all he wants, but he's the client. He's the one who needs help and we don't have to do it here." Raine was still angry enough not to give any ground.
"Well, he really ticked you off, didn't he?" Gianna laughed as she fell into step behind them.
"Yes, he did." Raine reached past Deanne and opened the door so that that conversation would end.
"Spoilsport. It's not often we get to tease you," Deanne tossed over her shoulder as they walked out of the room.
"Hah, you do it all of the time. You just usually don't have this much ammunition." Raine wasn't going to fall for that never-get-to-have-any-fun routine. "Move it."
When they walked into the large, pale-blue dining room, the conversation there dimmed noticeably. Raine shook her head. That was a little obvious. Their reaction was out of proportion. She hadn't challenged him or even taken a swipe at him. She'd just told him what he could do with his attitude. Hadn't anyone else ever done that?
"Well, let's get something to eat. It's a good thing we're used to working under pressure." Deanne's voice was so low that Raine barely heard the words.
They got their food and found a free table. Raine had just picked up her drink when she noticed the room had gotten quiet again. She didn't need to turn her head to know that Connal had arrived. It was the only reason the crew would have done that again. They were anxiously waiting to see and hear what happened between them this time. Raine took a deep breath and promised herself she wouldn't let her anger rule her words. She'd give him a chance to say what he had to say. Tension slowly built and she could feel it gathering between her shoulder blades.
When a hand landed on her shoulder, she nearly jumped out of her chair. She'd expected him to talk, but she hadn't thought he'd touch her. His hand tightened as if he'd hold her in place if she tried to bolt. She relaxed back into her seat and looked back over her shoulder. He wore the clothes he'd had on earlier, but his hair looked mussed and his mouth was pulled into a tight line. She took a little satisfaction in those signs of stress.
"Did you forget we were supposed to have dinner together?" His voice was smooth and controlled.
"I didn't know we were supposed to have dinner tonight. I don't remember making any plans." She drew in a hissing breath as the hard tip of someone's shoe hit her shin. She turned to glare at the women around the white table.
"It must have slipped your mind. I have everything set up in my room. You can leave that and we'll go talk while we eat." He urged her out of her seat.
She rose and didn't fight. This wasn't the place for any conversation and in spite of the fact that she was still angry, she wanted to go with him. She glanced at her friends and saw them grinning. If she didn't know better, she'd think they set her up for this, but she knew they hadn't talked to Connal since she'd had words with him.
"We do have a few things we need to talk about." She nodded. "I'm ready to go if you are."
"Good." He took her hand and led her out of the dining hall.
He was silent on their walk through the hallways. She didn't know whether to take that as a good sign or a bad sign. Deciding not to dwell on what he could be feeling, she focused on the walk to his rooms. She didn't know what to say and she couldn't really expect him to make easy conversation when she couldn't.
He led her into his room. He waited near the door and she walked past him. She suddenly had the feeling that she'd stepped into the predator's lair. She grimaced. It was a fine time for her instincts to start sending up alarms. She was already inside and he didn't look like he was in the mood to let her out.
"You're still angry over what happened earlier." He stayed where he was, not making any move to get closer to her.
"Yes." Her answer was short, but her voice wasn't terse. She wanted to see how he'd respond and what he had to say.
"Were you just going to stay with your friends tonight and avoid me?" He folded his arms over his chest and simply stared at her. She'd never thought being watched could be so intimidating, but that piercing look made her want to fidget and squirm.
"I was going to spend the day with my friends, because I knew I was still angry. Heaping more angry words on top of our earlier confrontation wasn't going to help anything." Raine shrugged. It was obvious to her.
"How long were you going to wait before you would have come to me?" Connal raised an imperious eyebrow.
"Until I wasn't angry anymore or something changed." She shrugged again.
"I wasn't about to apologize if that's what you mean by change. We didn't get into any arguments last time because you were too busy trying to throw off my suspicions and were agreeable. We'll fight. You're too used to doing things your own way for the adjustment to be easy." He slowly came across the room, his stride measured. His eyes were locked on her.
Her eyes widened as his words registered. The man was talking about longer than the time it took to find his crewmate. That stunned her. She shook her head back and forth slowly. That wasn't something she was ready to think about. There was too much she didn't know about him and the entire situation. She really needed some distance and to know if this was more than just an intense attraction.
"Did you seriously think I was going to let you disappear so easily after you helped us? I wasn't going to allow that the first time you left us. With the pull between us, do you seriously think that I'm going to allow you to walk away without discovering what's truly behind it?" Connal took the final few steps separating them and his hands cupped her shoulder, holding her loosely as if he was afraid she'd run out of the room if he didn't have his hands on her.
"It's sex." She didn't even fully believe that herself, but admitting to him that it was more scared her. She wanted to have a plan before she confronted that possibility. He came with a lot of ties and she'd avoided a pack for years. It wasn't going to be an easy decision regardless of the fact that her feelings for him were growing.
He laughed. "You must be really scared of what you feel. You're trying to make yourself believe it. But it's not that easy, is it?"
"Are we going to eat?" She folded her arms across her chest. No way was she touching that statement.
"You're not going to be able to hide from it for much longer. I won't let you. I'm not hesitating or second-guessing this and we're not going to be taking any steps back." He stared down into her eyes.
"I've already told you that you don't get to order me around like one of your crew." She pushed her hand against his chest, but he didn't budge. "You don't get to decide everything. If I want to be by myself to think about how things are going then I'll be alone."
"So you can brood and let your fears rule you? I'd bet you would have waited if I hadn't made some move tonight." One of his hands rose to cup her cheek. "I'm not wasting any of the time we have together here. You'll know before you leave that this is something special just as surely as I do."
"I told you I wanted to calm down before I confronted you again." She wasn't about to elaborate on when that would have happened.
"Give me credit for at least knowing when someone is stuck by their own pride. I've had some experience with seeing it and dealing with it with my crew. You wouldn't have made a move until I did. If that had meant virtually ignoring me for the time that we have left you would have done it." He leaned down and brushed his lips over her cheek. "I wasn't about to let that happen."
The man was probably right, but she wasn't going to admit that to him. He already had the tendency to think he knew best for everyone. Encouraging that belief wouldn't help, but she didn't have a snappy comeback ready. She settled for rolling her eyes and hoped that conveyed just enough sarcasm.
"So I'm supposed to ignore the fact that I'm still angry with you and cooperate with what you want. Why would I do that?" She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Not ignore it, but what's building between us is more important than the anger. Now we'll eat and then we'll get on to maybe working on lessening that anger." He clasped her hand and drew her over to the table.
She dragged her feet and not only to show that she wasn't going to fall so simply into his plan. It wasn't that she stubbornly planned to hold onto her anger. She didn't know what to do. His attitude had caught her off guard, although she loved the way he'd touched her and wanted more. She'd expected a fight. He'd given her statements of what he expected to happen. How was she supposed to respond to that? She drew in a deep breath.
His hand landed over her mouth, but not hard, just covering her lips. "Don't."
She glared at him. All right, so she'd been about to let loose a tirade. He'd had his say. Now it was hers.
"Do you know how much I wanted to accept the challenge you threw down today?" He slowly pulled his hand away from her lips. "The only reason I didn't was because I promised not to do anything to reveal what you were while you were helping us."
She blinked, stunned. She hadn't seen it as a challenge really. She'd thought of it more as confrontation with words, not as some prod at his position as leader. "Nothing that I said was untrue and it wasn't meant as a challenge, merely as a reminder that I don't follow your orders this time."
"You're on my ship. You're in my bed and you don't think that you're subject to following my orders." His eyes narrowed and he leaned in close.
"I could remove myself from both." She smiled sweetly. She wasn't buying into that reasoning.
He growled. The low rolling sound made her lean back a bit and she saw the sharp tips of his fangs. "Not happening. Now go to the table and sit down. We're both a little too angry right now."
"You could have waited like I meant to do." She strolled to the table.
"I don't back down or wait to tackle a tough problem." He slid into his seat and looked at her. She could see his tension, but most of his anger seemed to have gone. "I want everything out now so that you're not holding onto any of your anger."
"You want everything out. Well, I think you're wasting your time and some of our time going after that man. He's not behind it. The more effort we have focused on finding who did want a woman like Tricia, the faster we'll find her." She leaned forward, putting her hands on the table.
"I got that from your explanation earlier. It doesn't change anything. We will still focus some of the search on him. He knows we're still here and he will try something." He tilted his head seemed to be waiting for the next volley.
"Your attitude infuriates me. You act like we are part of your crew. We're not. I'll concede for right now we're your guests, but that will last only as long as it takes to get Tricia out of those people's hands." She clenched her jaw to stop herself from saying something else about removing themselves from the ship.
"I treat you like part of the crew because in a way you are. You said it yourself. I'm paying you for finding Tricia. When I pay for someone to do something, you'd better be sure that I'm actively involved in every step of the process and that I will have a say in what's done." His smile was as hard as his voice.
The fact that he was using her own words against her only made her even angrier. She hated to admit that he had a point. While he hadn't paid them yet, they were technically in his employ. She fumed in silence for a while.
"I hate you." She looked down at the cloth-covered table and the covered dishes. Her jaw ached and she wanted to scream.
He grinned. "You hate being wrong as much as I do. Try taking a few deep breaths and concentrate on eating for a while."
"I'm surprised no one has taken you out yet. You're pretty much insufferable." She shook her head. It really did amaze her. He must be really good at fighting or inspire strong loyalty.
"Surprisingly there have been very few people who have a problem with my leadership." He began pulling the covers off the platters and bowls and dished out the food.
"That is surprising," she muttered, but began to help him with the food.
He didn't get angry. He merely laughed. "Are you going to keep antagonizing me through the meal?"
She took a deep breath. "You know you don't make it easy when you won't even respond to the barbs. It just makes me feel like I'm being bitchy."
"You're already angry. Why should I feed it by slinging nasty words back at you?" He shrugged.
She ate instead of responding to that. He was using logic in a situation where her emotions were ruling. She wondered how he could be so detached. She certainly wasn't. Was it only the sex he was ensuring continued for her duration here? She'd thought he'd felt more for her than that.
"Is something wrong?" His voice lowered and she saw him frown.
She shook her head, pushing away the thoughts of what he wanted. She was in no condition to be thinking about that. Even her own thoughts were muddled. She couldn't even try to decipher what his actions meant, not without making a complete mess of it.
"Nothing's wrong. It's just a little more difficult for me to shift from anger to acting as if everything's normal as you're doing." She grimaced. That was an understatement. Her mind seemed stuck right now.
"Everything's not normal to me. I want to avoid another fight with you if at all possible." He reached over and put his hand over hers as it rested on the table. "I've been trying to come up with something to say that wouldn't raise your hackles or sound inane."
She felt a smile tug upward. She'd admit that that wasn't normal. Even when they'd both been playing games, there hadn't been that many tense silences. "How about we just eat and take things as they come afterward?"
"That sounds like a plan." He nodded.
They ate in silence, but it wasn't the nerve-stretching, tense silence of before. She'd suggested it because she couldn't think of anything else that might help, but she was amazed that in a way it worked. Her anger didn't disappear magically and she didn't see things entirely his way, but she was able to relax a little and realize that he was right. They'd been bound to fight at some point and if things had gotten much more heated, one of them might have taken things to a more physical level.
She wasn't going to try to pretend that it wouldn't have been her. It probably would have been. He seemed to have a little better control than she did. She also realized that talking about this now wouldn't get them anywhere. She needed time to get some emotional distance because she was just reacting to the slight.
When they both finished eating, she rose, but she didn't head immediately for the couch. She waited for him. As he stood, she stepped forward and put her arms around him. This wasn't the time for conversation or any of the other light entertainments he had over there in that corner. Now they both needed to get their minds off the anger and issues between them. She couldn't think of anything better than to lose themselves in the mind-blowing feelings that erupted any time they touched.
His hands settled lightly at her waist, but concern darkened his eyes as he stared down at her. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. I think we both need this a lot more than we need to talk right now. Talking doesn't seem to have gotten us much of anywhere." She leaned close and inhaled his scent.
She loved that musky essence, but she was a little frustrated by not knowing the answers to the questions plaguing her mind. It would be so easy if the blocker wasn't inhibiting that part of her sense of smell, but she knew that the knowledge could make her decisions that much harder as well. She was going to have to deal with the situation as it was.
"What did you have in mind?" He let his hands flow down her sides and around until he was cupping her buttocks.
"It's been awhile since I've played." She lowered her lashes. She wasn't sure how he'd respond to this. It wasn't that she thought he was the kind of man who didn't like to play games with sex, but they'd both been angry recently and he might not be in the mood for it.
"What game did you have in mind?" His hands tightened on her buttocks, lifting her against him.
"Victorious warrioress and her captive?" She raised an eyebrow. "I think you'd look delicious with your hands bound above your head and your skin nicely oiled."
"So would you. Pirate and freshly captured highborn bride," he countered.
"You are so predictable. Afraid you'd like my game too much?" She laughed, enjoying the banter.
"Now who said we were only going to do one of them? I had in mind both, but was lobbying for mine first." He lifted her off her feet. "I'd love to haul you off over my shoulder."
"I'm not surprised. You have a leaning toward that tendency anyway." She tightened her arms around him and held on, but only because she wanted to be closer to him. He wouldn't drop her unless he decided to drop her onto the bed.
"You're strong enough to handle it. Now how are we going to decide who gets to play their game first?" He nibbled his way along her jawline. His warm breath tickled as it puffed against her skin.
She tilted her head to the side and considered it. A soft hum of approval escaped her as his tongue flicked at her earlobe before he sucked on it. Debating whose was the better or who'd suggested it could cause another argument. They needed something simpler.
"Pick a direction, either left or right. I'll guess and if I get it right, we do mine. If not, you get to have fun first." She drew her nails up his spine. The material of his shirt would blunt the feeling, but he still stiffened.
"All right, I've chosen a direction. You'd better not question my honesty if you choose wrong." His head lifted and he frowned down at her.
"You wouldn't lie to me about this." She shook her head. While she didn't doubt he'd lie in certain situations, she knew this wasn't one of the cases he'd believe warranted it. That hadn't even entered her mind. "Left."
"Damn, that's the one I was thinking about." He grimaced.
"Ah, maybe next time." She grinned.
"What are you going to do about the oil? I don't think I have any." His head tilted and she saw his lips tilt up into a wicked smile.
"Meaning you do have some cuffs or something to secure your hands with." She looked around the room. While she didn't see anything on first glance, she knew there was probably something here. She wasn't averse to ripping up a shirt or a pair of pants, but she'd rather not have to destroy any clothes.
"I have something that will serve your purpose. Keep in mind that it's meant solely to restrain. It won't hold me if I really want to get free. So be merciful to your captive." He leveled a meaningful stare at her before he strolled over to the wall where the closet was. It opened and he took out two brightly colored scarves. She frowned when she saw them. Those didn't seem like his taste.
"I didn't buy them for another lover and they weren't left behind by a woman so before your mind goes down that path let's get it out of the way. These were part of a prank gift by some of my crew. I kept them because I thought they might come in handy at some point. Of course, this wasn't quite what I envisioned." He let the scarves flutter into her hands.
She laughed. "You'll get your turn eventually, my captive."
"You're already enjoying this too much." He shook his head.
"Of course I am. How often is it that someone gets the chance to order the captain of the ship around? Now get undressed. I specifically remember saying that my captive was naked. Since we can't do the oiled part, we'll have to make do." She ran her eyes over him. She could easily imagine his skin gleaming under the flickering light of a torch. His muscular body would be slick with oil and his hands bound with dark gray chains.
"Not often, but the captain will get to have his fun after you finish with yours. His little captured bride had better be prepared." He took off his shirt and swept his eyes over her in a hungry leer.
"You're looking too far ahead. I've still got plans for you that I'm certain will be very involving for you." She took off her shirt, but left her pants and shoes on for the moment. She wanted to play now, not jump into the sex before she'd taken advantage of her win and his gorgeous body.
He took his time with his shoes and his pants, especially once he noticed she was watching him. He put his shoes near the closet, bending down so the fabric molded to the taut muscles of his buttocks. She licked her lips and her hands tingled with the desire to touch him. She took a deep breath and tried to stay patient. She wanted him naked. He had to take off his clothes, but the man certainly knew how to torture a woman. By the time the pants finally came off, she just wanted to grab him. She held back though only with the knowledge that now it was her turn.
"Before we really begin, I need to secure your hands. These aren't the shackles of my vision, but they'll do." She waved the scarves in the air as she stalked over to where he stood.
"You have a definite kinky side that I hope to get the chance to explore some day." He held out his hands in front of him.
She shook her head. "Not that way, my big captive, not just yet. I want some time to savor this. Turn around for me."
He growled softly but turned his back to her, extending his hands behind him. She had to give him a little credit for not making another reference to the fact that he'd have his turn after her. She made a loop and secured it around one of his wrists, because she already had a few ideas of what she wanted to do when she released the ties later. Taking a little extra time with the scarf, she made sure it was secure, but not too tight. She didn't want him to slip free of it at the first tug, but she also didn't want to hurt him.
She ran her hand down his back and patted him on the butt. "Go stand beside the bed while get ready and then we'll start."
He tensed but went to stand beside the bed. "Wouldn't you rather have me in bed?"
"No, my captive only gets in bed when I tell him to. You're lucky, I didn't come prepared for this. I have this sweet little crop that would go wonderfully with this fantasy. It gives a nice little sting." She walked away, still holding the other scarf in her hand.
Stopping at the door, she created a halter out of the sheer scarf, but didn't knot it too tightly. She just hoped it didn't fall off her before she got to that part of her plan. Taking a deep breath, she thought about what a victorious warrior would be feeling and then went with it.
Raising her chin, she strode across the room. She shook her hair over her shoulder and locked her eyes on the naked, bound man standing beside the bed. He didn't look very humble. In fact, his eyes burned with hunger. That look sent her confidence soaring. She let her eyes sweep over him.
"It doesn't seem that you've learned to be humble in my absence, warrior." She stopped and swept her eyes from his head to his toes. He stood feet braced apart and appeared ready for anything in spite of the fact that his hands were tied behind his back.
"Now, why would I want to do that? I don't think I'd be half as interesting to you if I was kissing your feet." He arched an eyebrow at her.
"But it's not about you being interesting. If I didn't find you intriguing, you wouldn't be here. I want someone who can please me." She shook her head. "It's a simple enough concept."
"I can please you anytime, just let me free and I'll give you a night to remember." His voice roughened and was so sexy as his eyes ran over her from head to toe.
"On your terms maybe. I do things on mine. Step forward. I want to look over my man." She smiled and waited to see what he would do. She tapped her foot when he seemed to be purposely wasting time.
He took a step forward and tilted his head. He looked every inch the predator waiting to strike. She walked slowly around him. Taking her time, she tried to draw out the tension. Leaning close, she ran her tongue over his back just to give him something to think about. She stroked her fingers over the muscle of one thigh and then cupped one firm butt cheek.
"You know it wasn't just your obvious assets that drew me to you." She completed her slow tour around him and trailed her hand over his stomach. "I love the wildness in your eyes. I want all of that under my command."
"Maybe you should be careful that the wildness isn't too much for you to handle." He didn't move a muscle as she touched him, but his tone became even rougher.
She deliberately dropped her hand to his hard cock and curled her fingers around it. She gave it a long, slow stroke. "I can more than handle anything you've got."
She took a deep breath. Time to get on with it. She had to do more than talk or he'd take over on her and she didn't want that. This was a game she wanted to play out to the end. She turned her back to him and lifted her hair.
"Take my garment off." She looked over her shoulder and raised a brow. "It's time to prove that you can please me as you say you can."
"You want me to take it off, but my hands are bound." He didn't look as if that worried him. She had the feeling he was just trying to be a little difficult.
She shook her head. "The knot isn't complicated or that tight. Use your teeth."
His breath fanned over the back of her neck as he leaned in closer. She waited, anticipation rising. Was he going to try teasing and torturing her or was he going to do as she'd asked? In a way, she kind of hoped that he'd resist the order. She'd love the opportunity to coax and persuade him. She felt the brush of his lips over the skin just above the knot. She felt a tug, but the fabric didn't release.
She didn't know why it didn't fall, because she'd left it very loose. His mouth lifted and his teeth scraped across neck above the fabric. She closed her eyes and tried to hide the shiver that tore through her body. She knew he'd felt it when she heard his soft laugh. She wasn't going to let him draw it out as he so obviously planned. Reaching up, she hooked a finger under the fabric and tugged. She felt a little resistance and then it fell. He groaned and kissed her neck.
"Spoilsport." He mumbled the word against her neck and then stepped back.
She smiled, but tightened her lips into a straight line as she turned to face him. "Now let's see how much you can please me with just your mouth and I want you to keep all the touching above my waist."
She walked over to the bed and sat down, scooting into the middle. He stood there staring at her for a moment before walking to the edge of the bed. He climbed onto the bed and knelt beside her but he made no move to touch her yet. She knew he was thinking about his options and what would make her wilder.
"I'd be able to do this better if I had at least one arm free of the restraint. It's not going to be easy to balance and lean over you." His head tilted and he just waited.
She thought about it for a moment. Having him falling onto her would ruin the mood. She reached around and tugged at the simple knot. It released, freeing his hands but still leaving the scarf attached to one wrist. She let it fall. When his arms caged her, she grabbed the end and wrapped it around her hand.
"Only your lips. I'll tell you when you can use something else." She gave the scarf a light tug.
"You're really enjoying this." He smiled and leaned down to run his lips over her shoulder. He swung a leg over hers and straddled her legs.
She narrowed her eyes at the dominant move. "Don't get the idea that you're in control. I'll have you on your back in a blink if you try anything other than what I want."
His eyebrows went up at her hard tone, but he didn't say a word. His tongue swirled over the pulse point at her neck. His hands were planted on either side of her body and he made no move to lift them. She licked her lips and planned what she wanted to do next while she waited for him to get down to business. She knew he was deliberately drawing everything out and that deserved a little punishment.
His mouth trailed down her neck. His teeth grazed over the spot where her neck and shoulders met. She shivered and her thoughts focused only on him. His tongue lapped over the spot and then he sucked. She wanted to feel his teeth against her sensitive skin. Her mind eagerly supplied images of his teeth scraping and nipping at her neck and shoulders. She could almost feel it even though he was only touching her with his lips. Tingles danced over her skin and she wriggled restlessly beneath him. She drew in a shaky breath as he pressed kisses across her collarbone before moving a bit lower. He hadn't immediately gone for her breasts and tried to push her to her limit. The anticipation built into an intense need.
His teeth grazed over the swell of her breast. She licked her lips and arched her back. Her breasts ached already and felt tight and swollen. She wanted and needed to feel his mouth there and her imagination wasn't helping matters any with the constant barrage of images and feelings. His tongue lapped at the curve of her small breast. She gasped when he used his teeth, scraping and nipping, but not on her nipple.
The taut peaks tightened almost painfully and she lifted into his touch, trying to nudge them into his mouth. She ached to feel his lips there. He seemed to touch her everywhere, but where she most needed it. He licked in the dip between her breasts and his tongue swept across the underside of the small mounds. Her breath rasped in her throat and her feet dug into the bed. She wanted to grab his head, to push it right where she needed it. It was all she could do to hold back and wait for him to give her pleasure like she'd asked.
His breath puffed over her nipple and she held her breath, but his mouth moved down the slope to her belly. He used his teeth, lips and tongue with wicked effectiveness. He never touched her like she wanted and the frustration and anticipation were pushing her desire higher and higher. When his tongue swirled just above her bellybutton, she'd had enough. She could do some teasing of her own. She pushed on his shoulder and followed him as he easily went over onto his back. She knew he hadn't resisted and that's why it was so easy, but at the moment, she didn't care.
She rose onto her knees and straddled him. This wasn't going to be a long teasing game. Her body was burning and she could feel the slick moisture on her thighs. The man had seemed to know what would drive her desire high and fast. She put her hand in the middle of his chest and looked down at him.
"You're a very impertinent captive and you didn't please me." She leaned down and nipped the skin just above the darkened circle surrounding his nipple.
He sucked in a breath and his entire body tensed. She saw his hands clench but he kept them at his side when she knew he wanted to grab her. His cock pressed against her stomach insistently. She deliberately pressed a little closer to him and moved from side to side.
"I'm not one of your tame little pets. I don't know why you thought I'd behave like one." He grinned. "You're hot and ready. You can't deny that what I did excited you even if it wasn't what you wanted."
"But there are rewards for behaving and doing as I want." She licked his chest and then moved lower, ensuring that she brushed against his cock the entire time.
His eyes closed and a low groan rumbled from his chest. She smiled and then looked down at his cock. It was hard, the rounded head darkened and a bead of pre-cum gathered on the tip. Drawing her fingernails over his hip and thigh, she wanted him to wonder just for a moment what she was going to do. Grasping his cock, she drew her tongue around the head just once before she lifted her head and once again moved up his body.
"Now, I'll take my pleasure," she said as she grasped his cock once more and guided it to her entrance. She slowly lowered herself onto him.
His hands grasped her hips and for a moment it seemed that he didn't know what he wanted to do, pull her off him or help her ride him. She took control and began rocking and grinding against him. Her body was already primed from the fantasies and his teasing. It wasn't going to take long before she came. His hands tightened and he rocked her more urgently against him. With her free hand, she cupped her breast and plucked at the nipple.
"Lean down." His eyes narrowed and he licked his lips.
She shook her head and continued moving on him. The feelings tightened and intensified and she knew she'd come in only a few more strokes. She threw her head back, focused on reaching for the pleasure. One hand braced on his chest as her hips moved faster and harder against him. Sensation tightened. She bit her lip and undulated her hips in a furious grinding motion. All that she could think about was the need pounding through her. He pulled her hips down against his as his rose.
It sent her right over the edge. Fiery pleasure exploded, rolling from her core and all the way to her fingertips, leaving a tingling wake. She felt his hands tighten as he worked her hips against him and then his hips lifted into hers. A harsh groan ripped from his lips and his body shook as he came. She lay down against him and savored his closeness. It was going to be a good night.
Raine looked over at the two people working at the other end of the table. She had to admire their tenacity and the way they worked together. As much as she wanted to find something to outright hate about this clan, she couldn't. They watched over each other and seemed to genuinely care. It would make it so much easier to walk away if she could find something even approaching the treachery of her mother's clan.
It wasn't going to be easy. Connal slipped a little bit more into her heart every day. The man genuinely cared for his people. She'd seen it in many ways, but still the one that stood out to her was the way he'd agreed to her conditions without so much as trying to bargain. He'd have done anything to get the help needed.
The difficulty wasn't only because Connal seemed to be a good leader. The people on this ship were nice and accepting even though their first meeting had been filled with lies and trickery. She'd half-expected someone to try to find out what kind of shifter they were already. She knew that she or one of the others would have in a similar situation. Knowledge was power, but these people took his word as theirs.
"Is there something wrong?" one of the men at the other end of the table asked.
Raine blinked and stared at the red-haired man. His name was Ian. "No, just thinking. There's actually been a bit of progress made and this shouldn't take too much longer. You'll have your crewmate back soon. By the way, not too much longer is days, not immediately."
"Good that you qualified that. I was getting a little excited." He smiled and looked back down at the screen for a moment before glancing back at her. "When you find her, we'll be ready."
"To find our friend, we had to hit two places in the same night. I can't guarantee that we'll be able to get it down to only one." Raine wanted to make sure he understood that this wasn't necessarily exact. They could only narrow things down so much. "We know there were three women of similar looks taken on the same night in the same area. You might have to check all three buyers to find Tricia."
"That won't be a problem. We're prepared to do what we have to do." Ian shrugged. "If you need help, just tell us."
She nodded. Again that so wasn't helping her. They were too damn nice. Was it too much to ask for a little rudeness? She could hardly sit still in her seat. Fear and uneasiness made her want to put distance between her and this situation. Part of the problem was she didn't know what to do. There was also the fact that she wanted to know what he was to her and if there was something behind the strong feeling between them. She hadn't been able to think of any way to get a piece of his clothing or anything with his scent on it out of his room. That was something she had to do, but she couldn't very well steal any of his clothing with him watching her. The man's eyes seldom left her when they were together. Normally, she didn't mind that hungry gaze, but she was getting frustrated and she knew time was running out. They'd gotten to the point where they were only trying to follow the money of the three possible buyers. When that was finished, they'd have the locations of the three buyers. It would be a matter of going to get them. She had a feeling she'd have a fight on her hands there because she intended to go along with them. Subtlety and cunning should be the first priority on a rescue like this. She had a hunch that he and the other men would be more inclined to bust in and beat the person bloody. She didn't want the Deveaen government involved in any part of this until the criminal part of it was completed.
She did what she could until Gianna came to relieve her. The program did most of the work at this point. Someone just had to be there to refine and generally just watch over it. When Gianna walked in Raine smiled and stood. She stretched and stepped out of the way so Gianna could take the chair.
"I hope you have some big plans for tonight," Gianna said as she looked down at the screen. "Every moment counts."
Raine nodded. She knew time was running out here. The knowledge was pressing on her every moment she was away from him. There were some hard choices she was going to have to make.
She shook her head. Now wasn't the time for thinking. It was time to do something. She couldn't stop time, but she could use what she had and savor every second they were given. To do that, she had to find Connal. That wasn't necessarily an easy thing. The man seemed to be everywhere at times, but he'd been good about making time to eat with her at almost every meal. She stopped by the kitchen and made a few special arrangements for dinner tonight. Some instinct told her that tonight would be one of the last nights she'd have the chance to be with him without interruptions or distractions. She wasn't going to question it.
She searched, but in the end, he found her as she was walking back toward his quarters. His smile widened when he saw her and his pace quickened. He didn't stop until his arms wrapped around her and pulled her flush against his body. She slipped her arms around his waist and leaned into him for a moment.
"You were hard to find today." His voice was muffled as he nuzzled her hair.
She pulled back enough to shoot a glare up at him. She was hard to find. "I was looking for you."
"Well, we missed each other while we were searching then." His head cupped the back of her head and then smoothed down her back. "I hear you've made a special request for our meal tonight."
She nodded. "I thought we deserved something a little special tonight."
"What do you have planned?" He pulled her close again, before releasing her and curling an arm around her waist to draw against his side.
"Wait and see." She smiled.
"It won't be long. Since you've arranged something special to eat, I've arranged for us to have something special to drink." He began guiding her down the hallway to his room.
She made no move to separate from him. She wanted to be as close to him as possible and since they were still in the hall she couldn't very well rip out of her clothes and plaster herself to him even though it sounded like a really great idea.
Raine only released him so that they could get through the door. As soon as the door slid shut behind him, she reached for him. He seemed to have the same idea because he'd stopped just inside the room and turned. She inhaled and was a little frustrated, because the scent was wrong. She knew he smelled good. His natural male musk tinged with spice and a sharp tang that reminded her of the bitter grita fruit. It was just that that was all she could smell. She couldn't really smell his arousal except when the musk increased so noticeably even a human would be able to smell it and she couldn't smell the Feiral scent. It was something she needed to know. She felt so close to him and part of her screamed that it couldn't be just sex while another part of her hoped that it was.
She rose up on tiptoes and slanted her mouth over his in a kiss. She felt his fingers slide up her back and cup the back of her neck. His teeth grazed her lower lip before he deepened the kiss. His mouth ate at hers and she loved the way he couldn't seem to get her close enough to him. It was exactly the way she felt about him. She couldn't get enough of him and when she was near him, she still wanted to get closer.
"We can't get too involved in this. Any moment our food is going to arrive. I don't want anything to stop us once we start." His hand lifted from her neck and he stroked the hair away from her face.
He was right. She knew it, but it didn't stop her from wanting to keep on kissing him and touching him. Taking a deep breath, she tried to focus her thoughts. It wasn't only the urgency she felt because this could be their last time together although that did make it intense. She always wanted to be with him. Just watching him walk could send her thoughts straight to sex. She'd never been this focused on another person before and it did make her wonder if what she felt was just an extreme case of out-of-control lust.
"So we go over to the couch, sit down and relax. Now that I think about it there are one or two things we should talk about." She grimaced. Talking about it could ruin the whole night but she did need to get this out in the open. If they were going to argue about it, it would be better to do it sooner so he couldn't run out on her and ignore everything in the rush to get Tricia. She knew enough about him to know that he'd be focused on getting Tricia to safety and worry about bruised feelings later.
He looked at her and frowned and she knew he didn't have a clue about what she meant. She smiled but didn't really feel that confident. It wasn't that she didn't want to fight with him. They'd make up just as fiercely as they argued. The only thing that made her cautious was the time factor and the fact that she knew herself and thought she had a pretty good idea of his character. If either one of them became offended and pride became an issue, she wasn't sure that they'd have time to make up before Tricia was found. She was honest enough to admit that if she was mad enough she'd hold a grudge even if it did cost her time with him, but she knew she'd regret it later.
"What are we going to talk about?" He took a seat on the couch and watched as she put some space between them.
She put her hand on the cushion. As much as she wanted to be near him, she knew that the temptation to touch could be too much and then nothing would get said. Turning a little to face him, she put her arm on the back of the couch and leaned against the soft cushions. She rubbed her fingers over the smooth fabric and tried to gather her thoughts.
"We're going to talk about what happens when we find the locations and I assume they told you that we probably wouldn't be able to narrow it down to just one. These people only go by descriptions of their product, not names." She licked her lips. She was a little nervous, but she wasn't going to back down.
"Yes, they told me that we'd probably have to go to more than one location when they're found." He nodded. "What do we need to talk about?"
"First, it's not just go to more than one location. You're going to have to hit these places nearly simultaneously. I guarantee that if you don't all you'll find is an empty home and maybe a dead girl depending on the paranoia of the person there. These people have some kind of system worked out that gets information to the others very quickly when something happens." She drummed her fingers on the couch. It was so damn frustrating not to be able to stop that.
"Do you know how?"
"No, if we did, we'd take measures to stop it. I don't know if they have some kind of hidden panic signal or if it's someone hired to watch over those who recently received a new slave for signs that the authorities have found them." She clenched her fists. One time, they'd been moments too late. They'd gotten into the large house just after the man who'd bought her had killed her. "We haven't been able to pick up any kind of communication coming from the houses, but it can't be entirely ruled out. Technology changes and grows so fast that it's hard to keep up."
"All right, we'll plan for simultaneous entries. Is there anything else?" His arm rose and his hand covered hers where it rested on the back of the couch.
"Yeah, there's more. We're going down to the planet with you." She took a deep breath and watched his face.
It wasn't that she expected him to yell or rage. No, she thought he'd probably go with immediate denial. The man liked to be in control and telling him what they were doing probably wasn't the best way, but she didn't see any other way to do it. There wasn't time to coax and make him see that it was a good idea.
"By we you mean you and the other women will be going down?" He tensed and his lips compressed.
"Yes, for a couple of reasons." She smiled and tried to sound confident and unworried about his reaction. She didn't want to have to argue with him about it, but she was going to do it if necessary. "First, you and the other men are very emotionally involved in this situation. It isn't going to be easy for you to stop yourself from either seriously injuring the men involved if not killing them. It will be easier if you have someone along who's not so invested in the situation to remind you. You can't kill them even though they're scum."
"You're right, the temptation is definitely going to be there. Why should I spare these men's lives? They think they can own another person. I don't see much to redeem them." His head tilted and she could see by the hard expression on his face that he didn't agree with that part of the plan.
"If you kill them, they become the victims and no one will look farther than that at them. What they did will never become known. Nothing will be done about the trade they are a part of. But if they're alive and the women they hold are from that planet and go to the authorities, their actions can be brought to light. And it will be one step closer to stopping the group's actions." She glared at him. She knew exactly what he was feeling. She'd come within a breath of leaving the man who'd hurt Lori in little pieces all over his own home. It had been close there for a few moments, but she'd left him alive and unconscious.
"What about the one who took Tricia? What will happen to him? She's not from this planet and while we could file a report, from the way you talked, that's not something you want us to do." He took a deep breath and she could tell that he was trying to give himself time to think and not just immediately react to what she was saying.
"Oh we've got a way to link him to the others. He won't have a victim crying out for justice, but the fact that there will be a form of proof that he had her and that she's now disappeared will put even more focus on him. He'll be suspected of murder. With luck one of them will name a few of the others to get a lighter sentence." She smiled. The man wouldn't wriggle out of it. Planting evidence was the only way he was going to pay for anything he did. This was one of the times when they had to do something outside of the law to get justice.
"Why don't you want to file a report about her being found and her connection to who did it?" He frowned.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. That should be fairly obvious, but she knew it was because he was so focused on getting Tricia back. "Going into someone else's home and at the very least stunning them is considered a crime on most worlds. I don't want anyone to be able to connect you to the crimes."
He closed his eyes briefly and took a breath. She thought she saw a hint of a blush. "I didn't even think about that aspect of it."
"That's all right. That's actually part of my job here to make sure you don't make any mistakes. It's also why we're going down with you. You need someone who's got a little distance to keep you from doing something you'd regret." She shrugged. Revenge or the need for justice was an understandable reaction. That was something she remembered all too well.
"So you and the others are going down to make sure that we don't unnecessarily mangle the men holding the women." He tilted his head, but she could see that he must suspect that it was more than that.
"Well, for that reason and because once Tricia's back in your hands our job is over and it's time for us to leave." She tried to make the words flow smoothly out of her mouth as if it should have been obvious and wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Her tongue tripped and stumbled as she rushed to get the sentence said.
"You're not going to take your bags down to that planet. I'm not letting you go here, because I have a feeling you won't be traveling under the name you are now. I insist on knowing that when we leave you somewhere it's at least a safe place. That planet is not and we both know it." He shook his head.
"We agreed that after this job is done that you'd let us go." She pulled her hand out from under his and narrowed her eyes at him. She wasn't going to let him break his word.
"And I'll let you walk away from us without trying to follow you immediately, but only when we get to a safe place." He straightened and his look hardened.
"We're capable of taking care of ourselves and we aren't going to any of the places that those people hunt." She shook her head. They weren't stupid. Not that there was much threat of anyone being taken in the coming days when the news broke about the women being recovered and a few of the people behind it being discovered. The trade would disappear for a little while until the attention was off it again.
"This isn't a negotiable point. We'll take you to another planet after we get Tricia off this one." He shook his head.
"You are much too accustomed to people doing what you say without thinking about it. You're also being overprotective when there's no need." She took a deep breath. By the look on his face, she knew it was an argument that she wouldn't win.
She really didn't want to argue with him and she could understand his feelings about the planet being dangerous. She'd had much the same feeling when Lori had been taken, but hers had been tempered by a strong need for revenge. They'd been planning to catch a private shuttle and leave the area fairly anonymously, but the change in plans wasn't that bad. He would keep his word. She was certain of that.
"Ah, you think I need someone who'll tell me when I'm getting a bit too arrogant about things." He reached over and took her hand in his. He squeezed gently and smiled at her.
She returned the smile. "No, I think you need someone to ignore your orders occasionally just to show you that you can't order everyone around. And they'd also have to point out when you're getting too stodgy and remind you that you do make mistakes."
He laughed, but stopped when the tone for the door sounded. Raine tensed. Even though she knew their food was on the way, she'd completely forgotten about it while talking to him. She hadn't gotten her way in everything but she was feeling pretty good about how the discussion had ended.
Raine had thought he'd be a lot more resistant to the idea of them accompanying them on the rescue mission. She'd been so worried about that that she hadn't thought much about what he'd think about them just staying on Deveae. Now that she thought about it, she should have realized he would have a problem with it. The man considered them under his protection even though it wasn't technically true. That was too strong a drive for him to simply ignore the fact that he was still trying to get one of his own people off the planet safely. She watched as he took the cart from the man bringing it and pushed it into the room.
"What do you have on here?" he asked as he pushed the cart toward the table. She hurried to intercept him.
"Not there. I thought we might eat on the bed tonight. It's why I changed the food to something easier to handle. Easier to eat and to feed." She smiled hesitantly and pushed the cart a little closer to the bed.
He raised his brows. "The only way I'm getting into that bed with you to eat is if we're both naked."
She drew in a breath and then laughed. That was something she hadn't been going to stipulate but it was a very interesting idea. She had no problem with agreeing to it. Anything that allowed her to run her eyes over his muscled chest and gorgeous body was a good idea. Just to make him sweat, she pretended to think it over. After all, she had told him only moments ago he was much too accustomed to people jumping at his word. No use falling in with his plans too easily.
He frowned and pointed at the bed. "My bed, my rules."
"Not fair, we can't make love in my bed because I sleep in a room with other people." She narrowed her eyes. He'd come up with that little edict quickly.
"That isn't my problem. You'll just have to deal with it. Now are we eating on the bed or at the table?" He steered the cart to the left and away from where she wanted it just a little.
"So arrogant. It would serve you right if I decided to walk out on you." She gave him what she hoped was a frustrated look. It was hard when all she wanted to do was take her clothes off and shred his.
"But you're not going to do it. Table or bed? Decide." He tapped his foot impatiently.
"Bed. I'm not going to waste that food and I do want to feed you and have you feed me." She slowly began undressing.
He pushed the cart to the bedside and began to take off his clothes. With her head start, she managed to pull off her shoes and fling her pants away before he finished undressing. She climbed onto the bed and waited for him. Now that she was here, she wasn't so sure how well her plan would work and if she actually wanted to do it that way. When she'd imagined it, she'd thought they'd lie facing each other with the food between them, but now that she looked at the bed and saw his chest and cock, she didn't want to be that far away from him. She wanted to be able to touch him while they ate.
He climbed onto the bed and pulled the cart up next to the bed. She nodded. That would definitely work. They could reach the food without worrying about it tipping onto them if they decided to kiss and cuddle. And she definitely wanted to kiss him among many other things that would probably delay their meal for a long time.
"You look very hungry." His voice had roughened and by the look in his eyes, he was as ravenous as she was.
"Oh I am." She licked her lips and let her eyes sweep slowly down his body.
Raine waited until he'd settled on the bed and then leaned across him. She studied the tray for a bit. She'd asked for finger food and the chef had certainly given it to her. There were thin rectangles of toasted bread and thin slices of meat and cheese. Wedges and slices of fruit surrounded a bowl of thick sauce. Round golden puffs of bread were dusted with spices. It looked delicious. She plucked a piece of bread from the tray and settled onto her knees at his side. She brushed the piece of bread back and forth across his lips. His eyes locked with hers and he didn't even look down to see what she was holding. His lips parted and she slipped the bread inside. He bit down onto the crunchy toast.
He chewed slowly, but he wasn't still. She was surprised when his hand settled on her hip and swept slowly up her side. His hand stopped just under her breasts but she wanted it to go higher. He leaned forward and took the last bit of crunchy toast from her fingers. After he finished with that bite, his tongue swirled across her fingertips. The man was so damn sensual and she'd bet he knew that sent thrills through her body.
"Now you need to eat a little, because this game isn't going to last long." He half-turned to pull a piece of cheese and meat from the cart.
She watched and slicked her tongue over her lips as her eyes drifted down to his hardened cock. No, this definitely wasn't going to last long. She had a few ideas about what she wanted to do with him, and food was almost the last thing on her mind. Now she wouldn't mind licking and nibbling bits of food off him and definitely getting his mouth on her body was always a plus regardless of what he was doing.
He turned back to face her and resumed his lounging position. "I have something like this when I want to relax and not deal with the fuss of a full meal. I never really thought about how useful it could be in this kind of situation though."
"The sauce your cook recommended was what made my imagination run wild. He said it was both sweet and a little salty and thick enough that it wouldn't drip too much. My mind easily provided some wonderful uses for something like that." She grinned and watched as he looked back at the cart.
"Well, why didn't you say something about that a little earlier? I wouldn't mind having a bit of that myself." He turned back to her and lifted the cheese to his mouth.
"Isn't that supposed to be for me?" She tilted her head.
"Yes, come get it." He slipped the piece of cheese and meat between his lips.
She laughed softly and rose to her knees to lean over him. Lowering her head, she clasped the food and tugged, but only came away with part of it. She chewed and then went back for more. Her lips brushed against his and she nibbled at the food, but his mouth interested her far more than the snack he was offering.
As she swallowed the last sliver of meat from his lips, his mouth opened and his palm cupped the back of her neck. He tugged her down and kissed her. She groaned and eagerly kissed him back. She wanted to lose herself in him now. To forget about the worries of leaving and what they'd need to decide when they did. The hard decisions were coming, but in his arms all she had to think about was the pleasure he gave her and giving him as much in return.
He tore his mouth away from hers. "Now, my turn."
She reached blindly up onto the cart. Two of her fingers sank into the sauce and she grimaced. Just as quickly, a wicked thought tore through her head and she knew she could use those sauce-coated fingers. She grabbed a couple of balls of dough and relaxed back onto the bed. She turned onto her back and put the seasoned bread balls between her breasts and using her still wet fingers coated her nipples with the sauce.
"Come and eat. Don't forget to try a bit of the sauce." She laced her hands behind her neck and gave him a slow smile.
He licked his lips. "You're a wicked woman and I love that about you. Damn, you tempt me."
She laughed softly. "Why don't you show me how much you like it?"
He laughed, the sound low and wicked. It ricocheted through her body, setting off tingles in its path. She loved that sexy, wild rumble. He came up to his elbow and leaned over her. His breath feathered over her breast as he moved in closer. His tongue swirled over the slope. She held her breath and tried to concentrate on anything but how close his mouth was to her breast. She wanted to draw this out as long as possible.
His mouth moved to the valley between her breasts. His teeth sank into one of the small round balls. He lifted his head and brought the food up. She felt the crust brush against her lips and took a bite of the food he was offering. She barely tasted it and it could have been plain bread for all she cared at the moment. His teeth nibbled at her lips and then he bobbed down and plucked the second seasoned ball from between her breasts. Again he shared the bite-size morsel and again he ended by nibbling and sucking on her lips. She could get used to eating like this. It wouldn't matter what she ate as long as he was there.
"Now I can get to what I really want to enjoy." His brown eyes dropped significantly to her breasts.
She felt her nipples tighten and a spike of sensation shoot through her. He hadn't even touched her nipples yet, but she ached for that. Just thinking about it sent a jolt shooting through her body and she could feel the coiling tension building low in her belly.
He dropped a kiss on her shoulder and then in the dip between her breasts. His tongue licked and swirled over the skin. When he touched and kissed her she had no doubt that he enjoyed every moment of it and that excited her. His tongue moved up the side of her right breast lazily as if he had all the time he could ever want to get to the peak. She wanted to grab his hair and get his mouth right where she needed it, but she kept her hands behind her neck. Her arms ached with the need to move, but even though it was driving her insane, she'd go at his pace.
His teeth grazed over her breast. She shivered and her back arched. She glanced down at him and saw the smile on his face. He was enjoying himself. His tongue swirled around her nipple. She stiffened and drew in a hissing breath. Even that light touch felt so intense. She shifted restlessly and her legs widened without conscious thought. When his mouth finally closed over the tight bud, she nearly bolted off the bed. The sensation was so strong that it almost felt like pain.
He sucked at her breast and his tongue danced over her nipple. She'd never felt anything so sweet. His hand cupped her other breast, squeezing gently. His mouth moved over her as if he couldn't get enough. When his mouth lifted, she wanted to scream out a denial, but all she could do was moan her objections. He rose and slashed a quick hard kiss on her lips. His tongue thrust into her mouth and she met him eagerly. Just when she was getting into the kiss, his mouth lifted away and trailed kisses on her neck and shoulder before moving down her chest.
"I love this sauce. Can't get enough of it, but I think that you put it on a little light for my taste. We need more." He smiled just before he lifted away just long enough to reach over and grab the bowl of sauce.
She gulped at the thought of him licking that sauce off her. "More is good."
He laughed softly and drizzled the sauce over her breasts and down her stomach. His tongue swirled and lapped. A hunger built in her that had nothing to do with food. She couldn't stay still. Her thighs parted as his mouth followed the trail of sauce. Her breath hitched in her throat. She could feel the slick liquid on her thighs and knew it would only increase.
His hands smoothed down her thighs and then journeyed inward. She pulled her hands out from behind her neck, not sure how much longer she could hold back from sinking her fingers into his hair and tugging him to where she needed him to be. She ached and burned. Her palms smoothed down his shoulders and back. He dropped a kiss on her hip and then nipped her thigh. She jerked beneath the sting, but almost in the same moment his tongue was there soothing the small pain.
His hands lifted her thighs and then parted them even more as he moved fully between them. As his fingers brushed over her folds, his tongue followed, leaving a trail of sizzling fire in its wake. His fingers parted the sensitive lips and anticipation roared through her. She tensed as his warm breath puffed over the sensitive tissue. His tongue took a long swipe from her entrance and across her clit. At that first touch, she came.
She felt the pleasure whip through her from her toes up. She gulped in breaths but before she'd even fully come down from that hard orgasm, his tongue began working on the hard little nub and two of his fingers slipped inside her. She loved that, but she needed more than his fingers. She wanted the weight of his body, the thrust of his hips, his lips slashing across hers and the intensity in his eyes as he focused on her. When he finally rose onto his knees between her thighs, she was panting and clawing at him.
He hooked one of her thighs with his arm and slowly joined them. Her nails sank into his buttocks, trying to make him go a little faster, but it didn't seem to have any effect. His chest heaved and she could tell he was as excited as she was, but he joined them slowly and when he began moving against her, it was slow and not nearly the hard grinding pace she needed.
She surged up, her arm wrapping around his neck, and pulled him down for a kiss. Their mouths clashed fiercely. Nips and small growls escaped as they fought for dominance of that embrace. That seemed to push him over the edge. He began thrusting into her. She eagerly lifted into each forceful plunge. His eyes burned into hers and she couldn't look away even as the pleasure took her. Light exploded in front of her eyes and pleasure slammed over her, leaving her feeling almost lost. He found release in just a few strokes and his weight settled onto her. They held each other, hands softly stroking as the last tremors faded.
She felt a few moments of regret as he lifted away from her and lay on his back, but when he pulled her close, she snuggled against his side.
"Well, I'm a little tired, but I'm not hungry. What about you?" He smiled as he looked over at her.
"I'm not hungry. Why don't we just cuddle a little until we're hungry for either food or each other?" She didn't lift her head from his chest. She didn't want to lose the contact.
As she relaxed against him, her mind began to focus and she wondered if she'd been crazy. Now, after the intensity and the surge of feelings, she wasn't so sure that this had been such a good idea. She'd wanted intense and she'd gotten intense. She didn't know if she'd ever be able to get this night out of her mind. She didn't know what she was going to do if she decided she needed to stay away from him. Her mind wouldn't stop even when she saw he was asleep.
She was almost relieved when the tone sounded from the door. He jerked and was immediately alert. She started to rise, but he put a hand on her stomach.
"Stay there. It's probably nothing." He smiled even as he pulled on pants and tossed a blanket over her. She tucked the blanket over her breasts and rose to her elbows to watch.
It wasn't nothing. It was one of his men. She couldn't hear the words, but from the tone, she knew it was something the man thought was important. Connal said a few words in reply and then turned back to face her as the door slid shut behind the crewman. She sat up and swung her legs around to scoot off the bed. She knew the locations hadn't been fully narrowed down. She'd have gotten a message about that even before he would.
"Stay there." His smile softened the order. "Please stay the night here. I don't know how long I'll be but I want you to be here when I get back."
She took a deep breath and nodded relaxing back on the bed. "Is something wrong?"
"I have to go soothe one of our clients who thinks we aren't going to be able to deliver his goods on schedule. From what I was told, he received a message that the ship had been put into dry dock. This is probably part of what Everett has been doing." Connal shook his head as he walked over to the closet and pulled out a fresh shirt and pants. He disappeared into the bathroom, but it didn't take long for him to come back out. His hair was wet, but otherwise he didn't look like he'd just been pulled out of a woman's bed.
After he left, she relaxed on the bed, wondering if she should catch some sleep and hope for another round when he got back or eat a little and find something to do. It wasn't until she was looking around the room that it really hit her. She was alone in the room. He wasn't here to see her. She could take something of his and not risk getting caught.
His shirt. He hadn't grabbed that when he'd gone to the door and to the bathroom. She found it on the floor at the bottom of the bed. She looked at it and grimaced. It was too big for her to hide and carry out without him noticing in the morning unless she only took part of it. She ripped a piece off and stuffed it into a pocket. She put the shirt in the bottom of his laundry basket. She knew from the time here that it would be picked up tomorrow. Hopefully, he wouldn't look for it until they were gone.
Connal stood in the shuttle bay and waited for Raine and the other women to get there. He knew they weren't deliberately delaying. Earlier in the day, Deanne had told him that it could be as little as a few hours but it could be in the middle of the night before she had all the addresses for him. He'd had a team on standby and been ready to leave at a moment's notice. They just hadn't been as prepared for it as he and the men had. Even with the rush, he was certain Raine and her friends wouldn't forget anything important. Especially not the identity they'd said they'd use to get Tricia back to the ship.
He might be tempted to go down to the planet on his own, but he'd promised Raine that he wouldn't leave without them and he suspected that she was right about them needing someone to hold them back especially whichever group found Tricia. As they walked through the door he smiled. All the women wore black shirts and pants with their hair fastened at the back of their necks. That was until he saw the bag Raine held.
"What's that? I told you---" Connal took a step forward.
"It's not a clothing bag. It's equipment. I don't know exactly what you have, but I thought we might need a few things to get into some of these places. These aren't unprotected and usually have fairly good security." Raine cut him off and shook her head at him. "I know why you don't want to let us leave here and even if I don't completely agree with you, I'm not going to argue about it."
He relaxed a little at her words. In a way, he'd expected her to flout his order. He really didn't expect her to agree with him about the safety of leaving them on the planet right now. The situation was a huge unknown for him and his crew. He didn't know what kind of tools she had in that bag, but they'd take whatever help they could get. He didn't want to warn the people of their presence before they could gain access. He didn't want to give them a chance to hurt any of the women.
"We'll use them. We have some of our own tools, but really don't know what kind of systems to expect when breaking into someone's home." Connal shrugged and waited until she drew even with him.
"We shouldn't have too much problem getting in, but these will make it a little easier," Raine said.
He wanted to put his arm around her and pull her close, but he resisted the urge. This mission was too important and he didn't want any distractions. "When we get down there, I want you and the others in the middle of the group you're in. If you need to step in and stop one of us from killing or seriously hurting the men, then do it, but I don't want any of you involved in the fight if there is one. Raine, you'll be with me."
Raine sent him a sharp look, but she nodded.
They flew down to the planet and disembarked. Connal was a little concerned about Raine getting that bag through security, but they had no problem with it. Once out of the space port, they split into their groups and took rented vehicles to the area around the buyers' homes. The extra supplies they needed were waiting in the vehicles as they'd arranged. Masks and weapons were passed around to everyone, although everyone kept them off as they piloted out of the city.
Night was falling fast and they would need its concealing cloak to help them. All the houses were isolated, well outside the city and surrounded by large walls. Connal had chosen to go to the closest one and they had to wait for the other groups to get to their houses before they could approach the estate.
They kept to the shadows and Connal noticed that Raine was every bit as good at staying in cover and not drawing attention as he and his men were. She stayed to the middle until they needed to neutralize the system connected to the wall and then she came forward to check and see what kind of tools they had for dealing with the security. She nodded then and let them handle the wall, but at the house, she once again stepped forward to see what they were doing. This time, she took over without a word. She pulled a few things out of the bag and bypassed the security. Once she'd finished, she moved back into the middle of the group as they entered the home.
Everything seemed to be extravagantly lavish in this house. Most of the walls were either white or a deep gray and gilded. The furniture was polished to a high shine and obviously expensive. Connal had to wonder if anything here was ever used. It looked like a showroom. They moved through the house slowly, not wanting to miss any hidden crevice.
Connal felt a slight buzz on his leg and pulled out the small communications device. He knew what it was even before he looked. There was only one reason that a message would be sent. He read it and signaled to the others. Tricia had been found and she was safe. He exhaled slowly. That took some weight off his mind, but they had to get the woman from this home and do what was necessary to see that all those they knew of paid for their crimes.
They began searching the house for secret rooms, not expecting to find the woman in an easily accessible room. At first, they found nothing, but then they found a concealed door and a set of stairs. Connal inhaled and felt a rush of anger roll through him. He smelled blood and not just a slight hint of it. It hung heavy in the air.
Going down the stairs, he heard a faint sound. He couldn't quite decide what that low whine was. It roused his suspicions and he slowed down as he neared the bottom step. He stopped at the door and let Raine come forward. When she found an alarm and disabled it, he was glad that he'd taken the moment to make sure. He didn't want to give the man inside any warning.
The door slid open and they rushed into the room. Connal almost couldn't believe what he saw. The room had a tiny cell in the corner and various devices hung on the walls and from the ceiling. Every one of them was designed to inflict pain. Raine had warned him and it wasn't that he hadn't believed her. Even with the prior knowledge, he hadn't expected to see a room like this.
Connal ran straight for the man where he stood near a table. He knew his men would get the woman who cowered in the tiny cage. Grabbing the man by his shirt, he spun him around and punched him. Before he could get in another good hit, a ray flashed from beside him and the man fell to the ground. He turned his head, more than ready to growl at the man who'd interfered. His eyes clashed with Raine's glaring gaze as she lowered the stunner.
"What part of not letting him become the victim didn't you understand?" She holstered the weapon and then folded her arms across her chest.
"It was only one punch." Connal shook his head. He'd admit that he had wanted to do more, but he would have restrained himself before beating the man senseless.
"You were going to hit him again." She met his eyes and from her look, he knew she didn't believe he would have stopped.
"Yes, once. I wasn't going to leave him too broken, but I was going to make sure he didn't get up again while we were here." Connal scowled.
"He's down and he's not getting up while we're here. Mission accomplished." She turned away from him and walked over to the woman.
Connal wanted to haul her back and make her listen, but didn't. This wasn't the time to point out that he had some control. Aside from that, now that she had reached the woman, he could see that she was helping to calm her. They still had to plant the evidence and couldn't linger here long, but they were on schedule. Even though Raine wore a mask, the woman seemed to respond to the fact that she was female.
Raine was talking softly to the woman as she led her to the door and up the stairs. Connal was a little concerned because the woman hadn't reacted yet. Not really. There had been a little stunned amazement and initial fear of the masked people around her, but even that had been too muted. This woman's trauma went deep. He hoped that Tricia hadn't suffered anything like this and he really wished that Raine hadn't stopped him from getting his hands on the man again. That man deserved to pay for all of the pain and fear he'd caused. Connal resisted the urge to give the man a few swift kicks in the ribs and followed Raine up the stairs.
He saw Raine urge the woman out of the house. Connal knew she would be back. She had the program to insert the information that would tie him to the other two as well as people known to traffic in slaves together. She returned shortly and went to work. Her fingers flew across her small handheld and she hooked it up to one of the ports on the man's comp. It didn't take her long before she looked up and nodded.
"I'm ready." She glanced his way before heading back out the door.
She'd been a little withdrawn today. He hoped it was a sign that she didn't want to go as much as he didn't want to let her leave, but he would let her walk away from him. He'd keep his promise and leave them in a safe place where they'd do their best to vanish, but he wasn't prepared to let her disappear. Not when he suspected she was his mate. The pull was too strong to ignore, so he wasn't going to let her leave without making sure she remembered him until he caught up to her.
After they left the woman in a safe place where she could contact the authorities, they returned to the space port. The other two groups were already there and they didn't waste any time returning to the ship. The women had provided an identity for Tricia so that she could get up to the ship without drawing notice. It worked just as they'd promised.
Connal's emotions were mixed. He was happy to finally get Tricia back and that she hadn't been too traumatized by her experience, but that also meant that Raine would be leaving him. That thought sent his spirits crashing. The woman made a business of being whoever she wanted and disappearing like smoke. He was going to have a hard time tracking her down if she didn't want to be found.
As they walked from the shuttle, Connal took Raine's hand. "Are you hungry?"
She shook her head and licked her lips. "No, not right now."
"Good. Come with me." He tugged her to the lift and headed straight for his quarters.
He wasn't going to waste a moment of his time with her. Eating would come later. He wanted to get his hands on her and their clothes off. It seemed to take forever to reach his door. When he finally got her inside the room, he pushed her up against the nearest wall and slanted his mouth across hers. He was desperate to taste her, to touch her. Her hands tugged at his shirt and she kissed him back with even more hunger. Sharp teeth nipped at his lips and the savage little move sent a surge of lust shooting through him.
He wanted her. Now. She pushed at his shirt and gave a frustrated growl when it hung. The primal sound fueled his hunger. It was the first time she'd let the wilder animal side show and he answered with a growl of his own. He wanted her naked and against the wall, but he didn't want to let her go long enough to get rid her clothes. He heard a rip and didn't know if her shirt had given way or his until he felt her hands on his chest.
He dropped kisses along her jaw. "Lift your arms."
She raised her arms and he pulled her shirt off over her head. Her hair tumbled wildly around her face and she shook it back. He took off her bra and cupped her breasts. He loved the way her nipples hardened at the slight brush of his fingers over the tips. Her back arched and she hummed softly. Her leg lifted and hooked at his hip. She strained to get closer. He rocked his hips into her, but knew this couldn't go on. The friction felt too good against his sensitive cock as it strained against the confinement. He had to get her out of those pants because he wasn't coming in his pants. He'd be deep in her when he found release.
"Need to have you." The words rolled from him as he pressed kisses to her neck.
"Yes," she groaned and her head tipped to give him better access.
He gripped her waist and lifted her off her feet. He carried her over to the bed and put her down on her feet. His hands went to the fastenings at her waist and in moments he had her pants around her ankles. She sat up and began tugging at her shoes and he used the time to strip out of his own clothing.
She barely waited for him to get out of his pants before she jumped at him. Her arms curved around his neck as her body arched against his. Her teeth nibbled at his neck and her nails scraped down his back. She wasn't waiting and she didn't seem to be in the mood for the soft bed.
Actually, neither was he. He wanted her against the wall or over the back of the couch. The bed was a little too tame for him right now. He looked around and spotted the table. That would do and luckily there wasn't anything on it. His hands tightened on her buttocks, lifting her off her feet as he carried her over to it.
As he put her on the tabletop, his hands swept in lingering arcs over her hips and butt. He didn't want to let her go even for a moment. Her skin was so warm and soft and her heated response to him only fueled his desire to feel her pussy clenching around his cock. His body burned with need and he couldn't wait any longer.
Stepping between her thighs, he trailed his hand around her hip and over her thigh. He had to know if she was ready for him. His fingers traced over the plump lips between her thighs and found them wet and slick. Her thighs widened even more at his touch and her teeth grazed across his neck.
He smiled, thrilled at her response. Her nails dug into his back as she tugged at him, trying to draw him closer. He wasn't going to risk her pain no matter how much his balls ached or his cock throbbed to drive into her. Parting the lips of her pussy, he circled her clit a few times before drawing his finger down to her entrance. Her warm juices welcomed him as he thrust them into her.
He had to clench his jaw and grab for his control as her hips lifted against his hand. He drove her excitement higher before he drew his hand away and stepped closer. The heated moisture scorched him as his cock brushed against the swollen lips. She bared her teeth at him as her nails sank deeper into his skin. His cock nudged at her entrance and it was all he could do not to slam his hips forward. He slowly rocked his hips. Her walls clasped around his cock and squeezed tight as he slowly pushed into her. He drew in a hissing breath, but the last of his restraint broke. He withdrew and then drove forward again.
His lips slashed down over hers and their tongues met in a fierce duel. Her teeth nipped at his lips and she fought to get as close as she could. He tightened his hands at her hips, drawing them against his as he drove into her. His body felt like it was on fire and he knew he wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. He wanted to reach between them and pluck at her nipples to drive her desire even higher, but he couldn't slow down. Couldn't take his hands off her.
She was as out of control as he was. Her hands never stopped moving over him and she strained to get closer. Her breasts rubbed against his chest as she arched against him. Her breath hitched and he saw her eyes widen as a shudder ripped over her body. The rippling, pulling grip of her pussy as she groaned her pleasure took him right over the edge. Raw energy slammed up his spine and exploded as he drove his hips into hers. Sheer bliss rolled over him and his knees went weak. He braced his hands on the table and struggled to catch his breath.
When he looked up, he saw her watching him. Her skin glistened with a light film of sweat and he wanted to lick away the dewy moisture. Her eyes were slumberous and the hands that had clawed at his back now stroked over his shoulders in a slow circular pattern.
"I'll find you, Raine. Tomorrow, I'll let you go and I know you'll disappear, but never doubt that I will find you." He cupped the side of her face and locked his eyes with hers. He wanted her to see how determined he was about this. Even without scenting her, the connection and pull between them was too strong to be anything other than the bond between mates. He was certain of that.
"If I want you to find me, you will. If I don't, well you might as well be trying to see the wind." Her smile was a little wobbly.
He leaned closer and narrowed his eyes. The woman was confident and he liked that, but this time he'd prove her wrong. "I'll find you."
Raine lounged at the table across from her friends. The music was too loud and there were too many people around her, but that wasn't the problem. She was restless and part of her just wanted to get up and walk out of the bar and straight to the nearest space port. They weren't near one and that was definitely intentional. This wasn't a new feeling. She'd felt it almost since the moment that she'd stepped on the shuttle to leave the Raitan.
Connal had been a man of his word. He hadn't tried any tricks and she'd expected that. She'd known he'd keep his promise to let them go, but he never said how long he'd wait to follow. She'd thought he'd be on the landing pad waiting for them when they landed or at least inside the port. The man was honorable and that drew her to him even as she wanted to hit something.
They'd gotten off the planet of Sebell where Connor had docked temporarily without problem and since that time had switched identities three times before stopping on Sirocco. It was the last place she thought Connor would look for them. First because it wasn't overrun by cities and they had been living on one of the most populated worlds in that sector. The other reason he'd rule it out was because it was just on this side of the Central Command space. If a pilot started flying in the wrong direction, they could end up crossing the boundary into Shifter Protected space before they could turn the craft.
"Have you made your decision yet?" Deanne asked. She sat in her chair with her feet up on the seat of a chair pulled from one of the neighboring tables.
"No." Raine took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She knew what she wanted. She just didn't know if it was what was right.
"You still haven't checked that piece of shirt you stole, have you?" Krissa took a drink of the fine brandy in front of her and held it between her hands.
She had her chair tipped back against the wall where she sat in the corner. Krissa's eyes looked at the room beyond them. In ways, she was still hyperaware and very defensive. Not that Raine could blame her. After what Krissa had gone through, Raine knew she'd behave much the same way if it had been her.
"No, I haven't. I want to be absolutely sure the drug is fully out of my system." Raine bit her lip. She admitted that it had probably been long enough, but she didn't want to chance getting it wrong.
"What? Are you waiting on us to decide what we want to do?" Nara tilted her head and leaned forward, bracing her elbows on the polished surface of the wood table.
"No, when I make my decision it will be regardless of what you decide. If I am, I'll be going to find him. If not, I'll be looking for a new life where he won't have a chance to find me." Raine grimaced. Even thinking about it wasn't easy, but she knew it was the only way.
"If you are his mate and that's the only way you'd think of going back to the Raitan." Deanna slowly spoke the words as if she didn't really believe it.
"I told you that I wouldn't be able to watch him take someone else as mate. I'd want to rip her apart. He's mine and if he's not my biological mate I'm not getting near him again." Raine's lips firmed. That was something that wasn't going to change no matter how much time passed. It would hurt so much more to have him turn from her to another woman later than it would if she simply disappeared now.
"Don't you think the intensity of your feelings is too strong to be simple lust or infatuation?" Deanna frowned and dropped her feet to the floor.
"It's love, but love isn't part of a mating. It's something that either grows or doesn't after it. A mate is biological and he'll want his true mate enough to turn from me or any other woman for that matter. That's something I can't fight. Either I am or I'm not and being in the same pack with him would be impossible if I'm not." She exhaled slowly.
Deanne knew about mates just as much as she did. She shouldn't have had to explain it. Then again, Deanne wasn't in this situation and didn't have to worry about whether the man she'd come to love would one day find the woman who was his true mate.
Raine shook her head and tried to pull her thoughts away from that direction. She was getting angry and maudlin. She didn't want to get so mad she started a fight and she really didn't feel like crying. Even though he wasn't here, Connal was making her crazy.
"How about we put all this aside until you do make your decision?" Nara smiled and relaxed back in her seat. "We have time. We know the Raitan and Connal's other ships aren't anywhere near here."
"Have any of you made a decision yet?" Raine raised a brow. They were as much a part of this as she was and she wasn't expecting them to simply follow her blindly if she did go to Connal. It was their lives and their choice.
"No, I'm still weighing the pros and cons of going, but you know if you decide to disappear, I'm right there beside you. Starting new with basically only wits and some money would be an adventure." Nara grinned.
"How come I got singled out for the questions then? I didn't hear you asking Gianna about it." Raine glanced over at her friend who'd been unusually quiet for most of the evening. She sat in her chair. Her eyes were focused on the table, but Raine was fairly sure that that wasn't what she was seeing. Some scene was replaying in her mind.
"We already know she hasn't. If you'd been paying attention as we walked out of our lodge then you'd have heard her muttering about how she's being such a pussy and she just needs to get it over with. Something you need to do too." Deanne looked over at Raine and raised a brow.
Raine narrowed her eyes at the taunting tone. "Do we need to go for another round? I would have thought that the last time would have been enough to teach you not to push me when my temper is already stretched."
"No, you have more control than you think." Deanne slowly stood. "What do you say we leave this place and go somewhere with a little more life?"
"That sounds like a good idea to me. Some place with music and dancing maybe." Raine agreed, but she wasn't quite sure about the control thing.
\*
Two nights later, Raine stood in front of the dresser in her room at the lodge. She held the sealed packet that contained the scrap of Connal's shirt. She had been delaying doing this. Not just because she was concerned about the drug still being in her system. She hadn't wanted to be able to make any excuses to delay when she finally did it if the answer wasn't the one she hoped to find. It would be hard enough to realize he wasn't without there being a glimmer of hope that he could be.
She unsealed the packet and slowly lowered her nose to the opening. Closing her eyes, she inhaled. A spicy tang with a little hint of the grita bitterness drifted up to her and then her stomach clenched. Her eyes snapped open wide. Desire slammed through her and she almost fell to her knees. Her mate. He was her mate and she'd left him.
She shakily put the bag on the carved dresser. The desire to find him and grab him almost had her walking out the door. The only thing that stopped her was that she had no idea where he was. That had been deliberate. She hadn't wanted to tip him off by keeping too close an eye on his ships. They'd know if he came within three systems of the planet, but other than that, she wanted a primarily hands-off approach to keeping track of him. It wasn't the fact that she didn't know where he was that frustrated her. It was that she couldn't get in contact with him yet. The others deserved the time to make their own decisions about what they wanted to do. She'd have to be patient regardless of how much her instincts were pushing at her to go find him before he could escape.
She took a deep breath, walked away from the bag and put on her shoes. It was time to join the others. They were going out again tonight. It would probably be one of the last times they went out as a group. She didn't know about Krissa, but she was fairly sure at least Nara was going to leave and disappear. She didn't want to lose any of her friends, but she knew she couldn't walk away from Connal again now that she knew he was her mate. Shaking off the wave of depression, she strode to the door and went into the hallway. She'd face that when she came to it.
She went straight down to the lower levels. She needed a little time to clear her mind of the sadness. She didn't want to drag their moods as low as hers had gone. She turned on some music and walked over to stare out the window at the large lake. The water lapped at the shore and boats with colorful sails bobbed out in the water. She just watched until she'd regained a little peace. No matter what choice they made, she'd see them again. Maybe it was a little intuition or just wishful thinking, but she felt certain of it.
Raine heard footsteps on the stairway. She turned her head and saw Gianna walking down them slowly. The other woman walked to the window and looked out for a moment.
"Is it good news for you or bad news?" Gianna asked quietly.
"He's my mate. What did you find?" Raine couldn't think of a way to answer that question because even though she'd wanted him to be her mate, her feelings were mixed.
"Terrell's my mate, but it's not entirely good news, is it? I don't think Deanna and Nara will want to go to the Feiral. I don't think they're ready for clan life yet." Gianna grimaced. "They're still hunting the next adventure."
"The same could be said for us not too long ago, but you're probably right." Raine exhaled slowly and straightened her back. That was what made it so hard. She could understand why they wouldn't want to join with a pack. If part of her heart didn't belong with Connal, she was fairly sure she'd feel the same way even though she'd found a lot to admire in the people on the Raitan.
"Krissa is the enigma. I don't know what she'll do." Gianna leaned her shoulder against the frame of the window.
"Well, you could ask her just like we did." Nara's voice cut over the music as she came down the stairs.
"And we would have when we saw her." Raine couldn't help but smile at Nara's sassy tone.
"Well, you still can. I'm not going to ruin the suspense. If Krissa's the enigma, we're easy to read?" Nara raised a brow as she stopped in front of the long window.
Raine saw Deanne coming slowly down the stairs and knew it wouldn't be long until Krissa joined them.
"Not easy to read. We're just a little more sure about your attitudes than we are about Krissa's right now." Raine tilted her head and asked even though part of her would rather put off the moment of knowing for as long as possible. "What are you going to do? Go out and adventure or find the Feiral with us?"
"I'm not ready to settle down and follow the will of a man or live with a clan's restrictions. But don't think that you've seen the last of me. When I'm ready, you know where I'll be coming." Nara's smile was tremulous.
"I never thought we were parting forever. You know Connal will send out your image to everyone he knows. So you'll have to be a little careful about where you go." Raine stepped forward and hugged her friend.
"That's just part of the fun. Deanne's coming with me. I'll tell you that, but you're going to have to ask Krissa." Nara's arms tightened around Raine before she stepped back. "Let's not linger on the sadness tonight okay."
"Well, how about we get all of the answers out first." Krissa came slowly down the stairs. Her pale blue dress flowed around her legs as she walked over to the window to join them.
"What are you going to do?" Gianna asked.
"I've decided to give life with a clan a try." Krissa gave a shrug and a small smile. "I figure he moves around enough and visits and trades with so many planets that if I really want to leave, I should be able to do it without too much problem. I'm keeping some money in a secret account just in case."
Raine's lips twitched. She had an account like that herself and she probably wouldn't give it up. Not because she thought there was a chance she'd leave Connal, but because it was part of her nature. Just like that small room they'd discovered connected to their room on the ship. Feiral liked secrets and hidden rooms. Connal probably had a room like that on the ship. She just hadn't had a chance to find it before they'd left.
"Now, is everyone ready to go out and have fun at that club we found the other night? This is the last night we'll be together for a while so I don't want to waste it. Nara and I will be leaving in the morning." Deanne looked from one to the other.
Raine took a deep breath and pushed away the wave of sadness. Deanne was right. They couldn't waste tonight.
\*
Raine pushed her hair back and looked around the street. Trees and flowering bushes lined both sides of it and the walkway was cobbled in this foot-traffic-only section of Abel, the primary space port city on Evahs. The air was heavy with the sweet scent of flowers and the goods offered by the restaurants along this street.
Raine ran a hand over the back of her neck, but stopped when she nudged the halter clasp of her dark blue and gold dress. She felt like she was being watched. When she didn't spot anyone overtly watching her, she shook it off. She was tired and it had been a long trip even if they had taken one of the most comfortable passenger shuttles.
They'd waited over a week after their friends had left before they'd set off to find Connal and the Raitan. They'd wanted to give Deanne and Nara a chance to do their best to disappear. Gianna, Raine and Krissa had resumed their own identities as soon as they left the planet and Raine had thought Connal would appear very shortly, but he hadn't. It had taken awhile to find the Raitan's trade schedule, but eventually they'd managed it. Now they knew he should stop here within the next two days and that was a relief.
The feeling of being stalked didn't go away as they made their way to a nearby hotel. Raine also noticed that Gianna and Krissa seemed a little nervous too. That was when she realized it might not be her imagination. She wished she had a stunner, but hadn't brought one with her.
The weapon might be common and almost a part of everyday wear in most space, but here on Evahs it was against the law and bags were checked at the port of entry. They believed the weapons encouraged violence and were very strict about letting weapons onto their world. Raine wasn't sure one way or another about the violence-inducing potential of weapons and particularly stunners, but she felt naked and extremely vulnerable without one.
As they approached the entrance, there was a group of people walking at a slower pace in front of them, forcing them to slow down. Raine heard the scuff of a boot before an arm curled around her neck and she felt something dig into her side. It felt blunt, but through the protection of her clothing she couldn't really tell. The man pulled back, dragging her to a halt. She couldn't see anything but his shoulder when she tried to turn her head because his arm tightened cutting off her air when she tried to move.
"Why is he looking for you and those other two?" The voice sounded harsh and loud to her ears. He didn't even wait for her to try to answer. "You're coming with me."
Raine had no idea who the "he" her attacker mentioned was. This had to be a case of mistaken identity. Connal was looking for her, but he'd be looking for four other people not just the two with her. No way was she going with him though. It could be a death sentence. She saw Gianna and Krissa's wide-eyed gaze.
"No!" Raine shouted and started to struggle. "I'm not going!"
She felt a burning in her side and everything slowly faded to black even as she heard a female yell and running feet.
\*
Raine woke with a slight headache. She lay quiet for a moment, trying to get a feel for who and what was around her. Since her last memory was of the man trying to drag her off, she wanted to know as much about her surroundings as possible before she revealed that she was awake. She heard soft breathing nearby and the murmur of muted conversation not too far away. She caught a faint tinge of strong cleaner, the kind that disinfected. Nothing felt wrong.
She opened her eyes. It was the white walls that gave her the clue to where she was. It was some kind of medical facility. She looked over and saw Gianna sleeping in an ugly green chair. As Raine sat up, she realized that someone had taken off her clothes and she was now wearing a muted blue backless gown. At her movement, Gianna opened her eyes and smiled.
"Hey, you're finally awake. You had us worried." Gianna rose from the chair and stepped up to the side of the bed.
"Who was that man and what happened after I went out?" Raine tentatively reached up to the back of her head and ran her hand over a newly sealed scar.
"Don't touch too much there. You hit your head when he dropped you." Gianna grimaced. "That bled a lot. Well, he stunned you and then Krissa took him down. The girl tackled him and then punched him. Quite a few times. You should have seen it."
"I wish I had." Raine would have loved to witness that. Maybe Krissa was finally coming out of that protective shell surrounding her these past few months. "Who was he?"
"He's Everett. You know, the man who's been causing Connal and the others so much trouble. Well, apparently Connal's been sending out our images to all of the shifter groups and somehow Everett got hold of one. He decided that Connal had to want us for some reason and decided to prevent him from ever getting what he wanted." Gianna shook her head. "The man's obsessive and I think he's missing a few pieces mentally."
"But there'd be five images, he said me and the other two." Raine frowned.
"He was asking that of all of us. Us and the other two. With the help of the Evahs truth serum, he fully confessed to what he planned. I don't think the man knew anything about the laws on Evahs before he stepped foot on the planet." Gianna exhaled and shrugged.
Everett would have had to be insane to do what he had if he did know of it. Especially out in the open like that with a street full of witnesses and the well-monitored vid-units the city used for crime and accidents. Evahs was very strict on enforcing that law about the stunners and other advanced weapons and if a crime was committed with them, the sentences were even harsher.
"Where's Krissa?" Raine frowned. Surely they hadn't held her for punching Everett.
"She's at the port. We've been contacted." Gianna looked at the clock. "Connal should be on planet by now. You made the news. It's not every day here that someone gets shot with a stunner."
Raine's eyes widened and she swung her feet off the bed. "Where are my clothes?"
She fought a wave of dizziness at the sudden change of position. This wasn't how she wanted to meet him again. Not in a hospital and not in a bed. And definitely not in this ugly gown. She'd wanted to show him that she was coming to him and that he was her choice.
"They're here, but you can't get out of bed yet." Gianna gestured vaguely to a group of cabinets.
"Watch me. I'm getting dressed. I've been stunned before. Now that I'm up they won't keep me and the bump on the head couldn't have been that bad. I don't feel any disorientation." Raine stood and took a step over to the cabinet. She had to lock her legs to keep from falling.
Gianna jumped up and rushed around the bed. She put her arm around Raine and steadied her. "You need to sit down."
"I want to get dressed." Raine knew she was being a little stubborn but she'd wanted their next meeting to be memorable and not because she'd been attacked or a strange situation.
The door opened. Raine glanced up and her eyes locked with a familiar deep brown gaze. Connal walked into the room. He stopped just inside the doorway and she saw him inhale. She could almost feel the wave of relief rushing through him. He smiled and walked over to her. His eyes flared and she knew the moment he realized she was his mate. She saw the sharp canines descend in readiness to mark his mate.
"Have they released you already?" He put his arms around her and pulled her close. His hands trembled a little.
Gianna quietly left the room and Raine smiled. Nothing would happen in this room until he was sure she was safe.
She leaned into him, certain he wouldn't let her fall. "Not yet. I wanted to get dressed."
"You'll wait until the doctor comes in." His voice hardened and his arms tightened. "I saw the blood on the image. How's your head?"
"I've got a headache, but nothing more." She shrugged and slipped her arms around him. "It's good to see you."
"It's good to see you again too, but seeing you stunned and bloody and not being anywhere near you to help was something I don't ever want to go through again. I hope you can tolerate being close to me for a while." He placed a kiss on her head.
"I can handle that. You're not going to be all cosseting tonight, are you, because I had some serious plans for our first night together." Raine tilted her head back and frowned up at him.
The doctor came in at that moment and it wasn't long before they were walking out of the hospital. They didn't linger. Connal urged her into a taxi and they headed for the port. She leaned against him on the ride up to the ship. His arm curved around her shoulder and she could feel his breath puffing against the top of her head. His arm remained around her when they walked out of the shuttle. He scooped her up and carried her to the nearest elevator.
"Well?" That was the only thing she said and she waited until the lift doors closed behind them.
"If they think you're still weak, I won't be disturbed for a while. And I want all the time I can get because this won't be fast and hard like I'd planned, but slow and gentle is going to be so sweet. I've finally got you." He set her down on her feet beside the bed and held her tight for a moment.
"I've got you too. I couldn't walk away once I knew that you were my mate." She snuggled against his chest and inhaled.
"You knew before we met up again. Did you know when you were on the ship?" He frowned.
"No, I took a piece of your shirt so that I could make sure. The pull between us was too strong and I'd suspected, but while I could smell, my senses were muddled by the drug," she admitted.
"Good for you." He glowered down at her, but his hands were busy stripping away her clothes. "I'd have had to reprimand you sternly if you'd walked away from me knowing. And when did you get a piece of my shirt?"
"I stole it the day you were called out of the room." She grinned, but grabbed a handful of his shirt. "Now questions aside. I want my mate. You took too long."
"You've got me, baby and I'm never letting you go." He lifted her off her feet and bore her down onto the bed. His body covered hers and his teeth nipped, demanding entrance. "I knew I loved you. The only thing in question was the truth of our mating and even that wouldn't have mattered. I wasn't letting you go to some other man."
"I thought you'd want your true mate regardless of the feelings between us." She ran her fingers trailed up his side and inward to free the buttons of his shirt because she wanted to touch him. Once his chest was bare, she'd move on to his pants, because she wasn't going to be satisfied until she could touch all of him.
His mouth slanted over hers. Neither of them was able to speak for long moments. His mouth lifted and trailed over her cheek just as she pushed his shirt over his shoulders. She didn't care about the conversation now. They could get back to that later after she'd reassured herself that this wasn't another frustrating dream.
He struggled out of the rest of his clothes as he moved down her body. A trail of kisses marked his path as he worked his way down her chest. His lips plucked at one hard nipple as his hand slipped between her legs. Fingers danced over the slick petals and she arched. She didn't need all this play. She needed her mate. It had been too long and she'd worried too much for a long tease. Her sharp nails sunk into his buttocks and her lengthened canines nipped at his shoulder.
She ached to bite deep and mark her mate, but she wanted his cock deep inside her. He drew in a deep breath and his eyes narrowed as he surged up her body. His arms looped under her legs and his hard shaft drove fully into her. She lifted into his forceful strokes. Her body was on fire.
"I couldn't let you disappear," he groaned the words against her neck.
She felt the warm, moist puff of his breath and the slight sting of sharp teeth as they scraped back and forth over her shoulder. Her neck arched and her breath rasped in her throat as the building feeling surged closer to the edge. She needed to feel that bite. She ached for it.
He thrust hard against her and his mouth clamped onto her shoulder. She screamed as pain and pleasure mixed and writhed over her body. She shook and held onto him almost desperately until the sharp sensations began to fade enough to realize that he still moved inside her. His face was tense and strained. She realized that he needed to feel her claim as much she did his. Her mouth opened high on his chest and she bit.
His hips surged against hers. His shoulders shook as he finally found his release. A low rumbling growl rolled against her neck and his arms came around her. He held her tight against him for a long time.
At first, she thought he might have fallen asleep and she relaxed, more than ready to follow. His head lifted and his palm cupped her cheek. She saw lingering pleasure in his eyes, but there was something very sober and serious.
"The feeling was too intense. I would have found you and held on to you no matter what. Like almost everyone, I wanted a mate, but I wasn't stupid enough to walk away from a feeling that deep. If you weren't my mate, I would have lived very happily with you at my side. A mate is only biology. What we have together, that's so much more." Connal's fingers stroked along her cheekbone and jaw. "I suspected and hoped that the emotional bonds meant that you were my mate, but it wouldn't have made any difference."
She felt tears welling in her eyes. He felt it too. There were still so many unknowns in this new life she'd chosen, but she'd face them with him. Life with a clan was a scene that could have been straight out of her nightmares not too long ago, but now she couldn't wait to get started.
About the Author
Rebecca Airies has always loved to read. Futuristic, the classics, mystery or horror, the genre doesn't matter as long as the stories capture her interest and take her on an adventure. She soon discovered a love for writing and characters just waiting to tell their stories. Since that time, writing has become an obsession.
Rebecca lives in the heart of Texas. She loves the outdoors, growing things and working on crafts when she's not lost in the worlds of her characters. Please feel free to write and tell her what you think; she'd love to hear from you.
Rebecca welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
Tell Us What You Think
We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email us at Comments@EllorasCave.com.
Also by Rebecca Airies
Ellora's Cavemen: Jewels of the Nile II anthology
Ellora's Cavemen: Seasons of Seduction II anthology
Primal Attraction 1: Primal Quest
Primal Attraction 2: Primal Pursuit
Primal Attraction 3: Primal Encounter
Discover for yourself why readers can't get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora's Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.

