The bite sent a direct line from her neck to her core. An oncoming orgasm hinted through her. Desperate, reduced to feelings, she pushed against the hardness behind her, searching for release. “No,” the fierceness of the voice in her ear made her pause. “I control that, too. You’ll come when I say.” He pushed her forward again onto her hands and knees.
Startled, out of her element with her body vibrating for release, she stayed put as his belt rasped when pulled through his pants. The harsh sound filtered around the silent room, and she stifled a moan as it hit the floor. A rustle of clothing and his shirt followed the belt. Then, the rasp of a zipper made her shudder before he kicked his jeans out of the way. He spoke, his voice low and harsh. “And, I’ve had enough of you denying your natural abilities. They’re likely to save your stubborn ass if you’d let them.”
She jolted when two large hands grasped her hips. One hand caressed around to her rear and then farther down along her crease. She gasped as finally, he touched her where she needed it the most. “Ah, fuck,” his voice was harsh in the darkness. He cupped her with one large hand. She thought she would faint as he inserted one finger in her, then two. “God, you’re tight,” he leaned over her back—his fingers working inside her—and gently kissed the bite mark on her neck.
She whimpered as she started to move in time with his fingers, his heat surrounding her. “You need to come for me, baby,” he rasped in her ear, his fingers working inside her as his palm shifted and ground against the hidden bundle of nerves. “Now.” The orgasm hit with a ferocity that stole her breath as waves of pleasure coursed through her.
His expert fingers drew out the orgasm until finally, she shuddered and fell forward onto bent arms. Her body began to relax until he rolled her onto her back. Then she got a good look at the fully aroused male before her.
She began to edge backward toward the headboard. He snaked out a hand and grabbed her ankle, pulling her back into place. “Oh God,” she moaned, her eyes trapped by the dark promise in his golden eyes.
“Too late to pray, sweetheart.” His voice was amused, aroused, as he put one hand on either side of her body and moved up until they were nose to nose, skin to skin. His erection, long and hard, pulsed against her stomach. Then he didn’t move. Just lay against her, muscles bunched and tense, watching the play of moonlight against her pale skin. “God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured as he levered himself up on one elbow and devoured her face with his gaze.
Blue eyes, filled with confusion and awareness, opened at his words. Talen smiled. Truth be told, he didn’t mind seeing either. He liked her off balance. And he demanded control. She was smart to be aware of him. Especially if it made her think twice next time before throwing herself into danger.
He traced the contours of her face, gentling her, watching as desire replaced awareness in her eyes. The confusion remained as the intensity of the night was out of her experience. Frankly, it was out of his, as well. He had never wanted to possess a woman like this. She was his and had been from the second her helpless government handed him her picture.
A possessive intensity rocked out of him into her. He made sure of it. They were connected, and it was damn well time she realized that. In response, adrenaline jumped her into flight mode, and her eyes filled with the need for escape.
“You’ve nowhere to flee,” he murmured against her lips, reading her correctly, his large body all but surrounding her much smaller one. “Mine,” he growled as he took her mouth with possession, demanding surrender as his tongue swept inside and dueled with hers.
He knotted one hand in her hair to angle her head more to his liking. He fought a groan as her sweet body arched up into the hard planes of his. He could even feel the heat from the brand at her hip. It shot straight to his heart.
Almost panting, he broke their kiss, staring in male satisfaction at her bemused gaze and swollen lips. He had wanted this since the first time he saw her pretty blue eyes challenging him.
The arrogance on his face brought Cara back to reality, or partially back, anyway. Her shields were useless against him. Damn it. She was out of her element, desperately turned on, and her heart was vulnerable. And vulnerable in a way she arrogantly thought she’d be able to avoid. The last frightened her, and fear slid into anger. She moved against him, tried to keep her eyes from falling back in her head, and rebelled. “So”—her voice aimed for sarcastic but the breathiness probably ruined it—”am I tamed yet?”
His short bark of laughter was unexpected, and she widened her eyes at the sound. Dominance chased the arrogance off his face. Her womb clenched as the hand in her hair tightened and pulled, exposing her jugular to him. She tried to toss her head to dislodge his hand and succeeded in drawing tears to her eyes as her hair was pulled by her own action. Her head remained where he wanted it.
“No. But you will be.” It was a vow. He leaned down with quiet purpose and enveloped her throbbing jugular with his lips, his tongue rough against the pounding vein, his fangs a mere hint of his power. She stilled at the implication and edged closer to another orgasm.
He stayed motionless a moment, letting her feel his strength and her vulnerability. He held her life in his hands. Or rather, his mouth. She tested the strength of his shoulders with a shove. He was rock hard and immovable.
He lifted his head and pinned her wide-eyed gaze with golden heat.
“Put your hands above your head.” It was a command. She searched his eyes for softness or quarter. She found none. With a soft sigh, she stretched her arms above her head. He flashed his teeth at her obedience and started to penetrate her.
She struggled against the feelings rushing through her. The physical response to him, she welcomed—she clung to it. If he stopped, she’d freaking kill him. But the emotional demands of her own heart, of his, she couldn’t block anymore. And he knew it. He allowed no compromise as he nipped her on the neck and slowly, firmly began filling her even more. “Relax,” he purred in her ear, and amazingly enough, she did. He kept up his steady pace, and soon enough, he was completely inside her. She felt stuffed to the point of pain and took a deep breath to relax her body. Then he moved.
“Oh God,” she moaned as he caressed nerves she didn’t know she had. He partially withdrew, then pushed back in to the hilt, his desires commingling with hers. She sobbed at the exquisite pleasure. She had had no idea.
He began to drive in and out of her, keeping it slow and gentle until suddenly, filled beyond passion, she reared up and bit him above his heart. She felt the change within him before he did.
He roughly grabbed her thighs and pushed her knees to her chest as he pounded in and out, pushing her up the bed as he did so. Cara dug her nails into his back as he rode her, another orgasm threatening.
She looked up into his eyes and was nearly conquered with the intensity reflected in their metallic depths. He was primal, his focus on making her his. It was too much. She shut her eyes with a moan as he increased the strength of his thrusts past what she’d have thought possible, his hands on her thighs keeping her open, exposed for him.
“Open your eyes, Cara,” he commanded, pushing her legs even farther against her chest.
Overcome, she obeyed and focused on the dark eyes claiming her. Her acquiesce fueled something in him that had him increasing the speed of his thrusts. Suddenly, deep within, an orgasm hit with an intensity that had her whole body jerking in response. She cried out. Her orgasm triggered his, and he threw his head back with a hoarse shout. Then he dropped to latch onto her neck. The bite prolonged her orgasm until she collapsed in exhaustion. Talen released her legs, and she fell asleep within seconds.
Chapter 20
Cara awoke for the second time that morning and grimaced as intimate muscles yelped in protest. The ache in her heart outdid them all. She covered her face in denial of the raw vulnerability rippling through her. Her mind, impressive as it might be, was no match for the combination of her heart and body and their willingness to give everything she
had, everything she was, to another being. To Talen.
A sly voice in the back of her head whispered she should accept fate’s offering. As if it were safe to do so. Her ability to blindly trust had been ripped away during her childhood, and the instinct to protect herself couldn’t be denied. The same voice reminded her that neither could Talen.
A knock on the door brought her out of her internal debate. Katie poked her head inside the warm guestroom. “Are you awake?”
Cara nodded and sat up in the big bed. “Come on in.”
Katie smiled and jumped onto the bed to peer at Cara’s chin. “Your cut from that jerk Lorcan healed pretty quick.”
Cara nodded. “I guess I have Talen’s healing ability now. Pretty handy.”
“You don’t seem too happy about it.”
Cara shrugged and sighed.
“He loves you, you know.”
“It’s scary.” The words were inadequate.
“Yeah, I know. But at least he’s willing to take the chance.” Katie picked at the comforter.
Cara smiled at her friend. “It’s obvious Jordan has feelings for you, Katie.”
Hope filled Katie’s eyes before she frowned. “Yeah, but not enough. I’ll always be the brat who followed him around when I was a kid.”
Cara shrugged. “So show him you’re all grown up now.”
“How?”
Cara was quiet for a moment. “I have absolutely no idea.” She grinned and then giggled as her friend joined in. “Where are the banes of our existence?”
“They’re in the kitchen looking through Bigsby’s research. They’d like some help, if you’re ready to get up.”
“I’ll jump in the shower and be right out.” Cara smiled. “Um, exactly how mad was Jordan last night?”
Katie raised two eyebrows. “Let’s just say I had to whimper and pretend my headache was horrible just so he’d let me get to bed. He’s beyond furious the Kurjans know about me now.”
“So you haven’t really dealt with it yet.”
“I’m not thinking about that.”
“I don’t blame you.” Cara headed for the shower.
She emerged and changed into yet another pair of jeans and a deep green sweater before heading through the spacious house to the kitchen. Talen studied a mass of papers spread across the large oak table. Jordan leaned against the granite counter, reading a printout into the phone while Katie typed furiously on a laptop perched on the granite center island.
Talen glanced up as she entered, his burnished eyes running her length from head to toe. It was impossible for her to stop the warm flush that crept from her chest to her face in reaction. Talen grinned. “I checked your e-mail account and printed out the latest message from your errant sister.” His voice held grudging admiration for the fragile human evading his troops.
With an eye roll, Cara walked forward and sat next to him at the table before leaning over and peering with interest at the paper. “Hey sis. I’m on to something, no worries. These yokos can’t find me. Run into the sun, dear one. Em.”
Cara fought a smile. Run into the sun. Apparently her sister knew all about the Kurjans. She turned toward her husband, telling herself he didn’t look amazing in a deep brown graphic T-shirt and jeans. The voice in her head warned her to stop lying to herself, that it wasn’t healthy.
He handed her a stack of research documentation. “We’ll go through these papers this morning and take copies with us when we fly home.” Talen ran a gentle hand down her hair, turning back to his reading.
“Home? Soon?” Cara turned her gaze to him, wondering if he had any idea how often he caressed her. A pat on the hand, a tug on her hair, often a gentle glide down her back. He’d probably face the demons of hell before admitting it, but her mate was touchy-feely.
He nodded with a grin at his papers.
Cara relaxed into her seat. She’d see her baby soon. Then her gaze focused on the paper in front of her. “Wow.”
Talen nodded. “Yeah. They took the results of the Human Genome Project and are trying to apply either genetic engineering or gene therapy to the Kurjans.”
“Hmm. Whereas humans have twenty-three pairs of chromosomes, the Kurjans have thirty.” She read farther down. “As do the vampires.” She read for a while. “And it looks like they’ve isolated the pair carrying the ‘no sunlight gene’ for the Kurjans.”
Talen leaned forward and handed her a piece of paper. “Decipher that, would you?”
Cara nodded and read for several moments. “They’ve been attempting germline engineering to genes in eggs, sperm, or very early embryos.” She leaned back to look at Talen as Jordan hung up the phone and sat at the table across from them. “This means they have been trying to manipulate the germinal cells, or rather, the egg and the sperm. In practice today that means altering the fertilized egg.” She leaned forward, interest swirling through her mind. “The first cell in the embryo is the fertilized egg, and if you change that, all of the changes will be copied into every single other cell. The interesting thing about this type of manipulation is that it would be inheritable by all succeeding generations.”
“How close are they?” Jordan asked in concern.
Cara shook her head. “First they used healthy vampire DNA and inserted different viruses into what they thought were the appropriate Kurjan cells, but so far they haven’t seen any success with the method.” She rifled through the papers and sat back with the one she sought. “But then they attempted to create an artificial Kurjan chromosome and add it to the thirty existing. Their research is impressive, but so far they’ve met with little success.”
“And from what I’ve read,” Katie piped up from across the kitchen, “it looks like they’re still working on overcoming the mating ‘allergy,’ for lack of a better word.”
Cara nodded in agreement. “It’s only a matter of time until we can manipulate genes, but since we’re not even sure which genes do what, the risk far outweighs any possible benefit.” She pursed her lips. “They’ve looked at everything from plant photosynthesis to light aversion therapy to virus manipulation.”
She reached for the next stack of papers as the telephone rang next to Jordan.
“Pride here,” he answered. He listened before sitting back in his chair. “Hello, Detective. Yes, the Dodge truck is mine. I was at the truck stop last night.” Talen looked up from his reading and his eyes narrowed. Katie sprang from her chair, and Jordan shook his head at her to be quiet before talking to the caller.
“No, I was just walking in when all the excitement started, and a police officer suggested we move away from the building. So, I headed home.” Jordan listened for a moment. “I wish I could help identify the others in the restaurant, but as I’ve said, I didn’t go inside. Of course. If there’s anything I can do to help, please call me.” He clicked the phone shut with a direct look at Talen.
“We should be getting out of town,” Talen said.
Jordan nodded. “They won’t be able to identify Cara or probably Bigsby, and we’ll keep Katie under wraps for a while. I have my men preparing the Blackhawk to take you home. We’ll leave in an hour.”
Cara shuffled her papers. “Isn’t that a military helicopter?”
Jordan flashed sharp white teeth. “It was until it was modified. You’ll be home in no time.”
The morning flew by and soon Cara said an almost tearful good-bye with Katie. She promised to stay in touch and hoped the young woman could visit Colorado sometime soon. Jordan piloted them for several hours west until the Colorado mountains came into view. The wild lands suited her new husband. Both were fierce in their beauty and well able to withstand the dangerous forces around them.
The sharp white peaks against the pure cloudless sky provided a stunning welcome to the higher elevation as the sprawling town of Boulder flew by beneath them.
Jordan piloted the craft low through several mountains until he landed in a small clearing with deep green grass blowing in the wind. Talen jumped out
of the front and reached in to help her. She climbed into the cool air and followed Talen across the meadow to a large pine tree. They waved and watched Jordan rise into the sky. He gave a nod and then the sky was silent.
Birds chirped happily in the trees. The smell of pine and something sweeter from the myriad of purple and yellow wild flowers surrounding them wafted through the air. In the distance echoed the whinny of a stallion. Monstrous trees just losing their fall fir surrounded the clearing, and the scamper of small animals living their days sounded softly.
Talen grinned. “Welcome home, mate.”
Cara turned in confusion. “Home?” Healthy trees and wild flowers ruffled in the breeze. “There’s nothing here.”
Talen took her hand. “There will be.” He walked around the tree and Cara followed—they dodged and wove through the forest, carefully stepping over fallen branches and uncut brush. The thick trees repelled the sunlight, and Talen kept her close to lead her through the darkness. Finally, they came to a broken ridge covered in a ragged exposure of rock. Talen walked up and placed his palm to the right of the smooth surface, and Cara took a step back as the dark glade slid to the left, revealing a small square room.
She froze in place. “Oh my God. You actually do live underneath the ground.”
He laughed. “No, I live right outside of Boulder on the lake. This is our main headquarters and our safe house when necessary.” He gently tugged her inside. “And it’s where your daughter is waiting for you.”
Cara clasped cold fingers around his warm hand as the wall shut, leaving them in the darkness. She jumped when the room filled with light and a deep voice asked, “Identify?”
“Kayrs 23416,” Talen replied.
“Welcome home, bro.” The voice held a smile and the elevator began to descend.
Cara turned toward her husband. “They didn’t know it was us until you identified yourself?”