“If I were a human male,” he said, “You would never have had the need to break rules. I would have made sure of it.”
Jesus above. I felt like I’d run a marathon, unable to get my senses in check. My eyes fluttered closed and open again.
“But you’re Baelese,” I said softly. “So a simple touch . . .” I looked at his hand, so close.
“A simple touch for the average Baelese male, can drive him to distraction for an entire day. A kiss, and heavy touching would be like partaking in strong recreational drugs, or over indulging in alcohol. Anything beyond that, he must trust his partner completely, because his mind is gone.”
I stared, trying to decipher any hidden meaning. “But you’re not the average Baelese, are you, Senator?”
“Navis,” he said. “I need you to call me Navis.”
“Navis,” I whispered.
“And no. I am not average. I had the opportunity to build a tolerance to touch. But since the war began, I have been out of practice.”
I nodded, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth. He still wanted me. Even knowing I’d been with Tater. I had to take advantage of this. I had to push him. But would he allow it? The ships from Bael were supposed to be arriving in two days. He would never take the chance of being dazed for their arrival. The fact that we were having this conversation showed how weak he must’ve been feeling. Stupid guilt rose up at the thought of taking advantage of him, and I smacked it down.
He’s the enemy.
But he wasn’t looking at me like an enemy.
He killed your parents. He allowed billions of people to be murdered. He tricked everyone.
Those were the thoughts I needed to hear.
“Maybe,” I said. “We can help each other.”
I stayed very still as he considered me, his eyes roaming my face, landing on my lips.
“Ms. Haines—”
“Remy.”
He closed his eyes and tasted my name on his tongue. “Remy.” When he opened them again, he looked fierce and steely, as if he’d made a decision. “I need to relearn my boundaries. One touch at a time. If it seems as though I am losing control—”
“I will pull back,” I assured him, my heart fluttering rapidly.
This was happening. I couldn’t believe it.
He took my hand first. I watched his breathing quicken as he slowly twined his fingers with mine, rubbing his thumb along my softer skin. This simple touch, and the way he watched our connection with complete fascination, did crazy things to me. I let him take the lead, remaining very still as he set my hand on my lap, and ran the back of his fingers up my forearm until he got to the fabric at my elbows. For a moment, his eyes wandered over to my breasts, but he yanked them back to my arm, trailing the back of his fingers up over my shoulder to my neck.
I let out a small gasp when his warm fingers touched my skin. He stopped there, visibly trying to calm himself. Ever so slowly, his fingers spread over the flesh of my neck, his thumb rising up and down my throat. I closed my eyes. When he whispered my name, I automatically moved toward him, and he grasped both of my shoulders in his strong hands. My eyes flew open, and we stared. He looked wild.
He fought to get out a single word. “Slower.”
I nodded, though I didn’t know how it would be possible to go any slower. All I could do was sit there, taut and edgy, as he explored my skin with complete concentration, almost worshipful. The pulse point in his neck moved rapidly. His jaw was locked tight. Heat flooded me, making sweat bead underneath my dress as Senator Navis took my face into his hands, and I didn’t hate it.
God help me, I wanted to hate it.
“Slow,” he whispered, almost to himself. And he leaned forward. His lips touched mine as softly as two petals moved by a breeze. “Remy . . .”
He was the master of self-control, working his lips onto mine with more pressure, one tiny bit at a time. I reached up and grasped his wrists, needing to anchor myself, and his warm breath across my lips made me moan. He stopped and took gulping breaths, our faces close, more intimate than I’d ever felt with another person. And he was a person. Not a human, but also not a monster. Not to me.
And yet, I still had a job to do. And right or wrong, I was the only one who could do it.
With my heart in my throat, I opened my mouth enough to run the tip of my tongue across his bottom lip. He moaned and pulled back an inch. I clutched his wrists.
“It’s okay,” I whispered. “I’ll take care of you.”
“Remy.” His voice was thick.
“It’s okay.” I wouldn’t let him move away, but neither did I push. “You can handle this, Navis.” I let him catch his breath, and then I whispered, “Look at me.”
He was struggling, and that was exactly what I needed. After thinking all night about what to do, and now knowing what he was willing to do, I had a plan.
He looked at me, and I swear, it looked like he’d smoked a bowl of some seriously strong stuff. I pulled his hands down from my face and took them in mine. He was shaking and staring at me with those predatorial eyes again. Though he looked high, he definitely didn’t look weak. He wanted to pounce.
I needed to get back to Primo Town and tell Linette that the master vessels were coming in two days. I couldn’t get the gate code unless the Senator’s mind was way gone. And if he was that far gone, I’d be stuck here in the palace, so the gate code would have to wait. He had to be able to give his guards the order to take me to Primo Town. If he was out of his mind, even if I got my hands on a weapon, I could not singlehandedly shoot my way past all of the guards. I’m idealistic, but not that dumb.
“We need a short break,” I told him. “That’s how we can build your tolerance. Short breaks, and we’ll build up to more.”
“You want more.” It was a statement, practically growled, not a question.
“Yes, Navis.” I dared to touch his face, watching him exhale with desire. I reached to the coffee table where he’d set his walkie-talkie, and I placed it in his palm. “Let your guard know that I can visit little Kelsey in Primo Town. Just between us, she was shaken up after the people were punished. You don’t mind if I go, do you? Just for ten or fifteen minutes? And then when I get back, you’ll be calmer, and we can have more time together.”
He swallowed, lifting the device to his mouth with a shaking hand. Oh, my gosh. Was it working? His voice came out thicker than usual, but still clear enough.
“Escort Ms. Haines to Primo Town for a ten minute visitation with the girl child.”
I beamed at him. “Thank you.”
I stood and smoothed my dress down, then looked at him, legs spread wide, staring up at me with that chiseled face. He looked like some sexy millionaire on a book cover. Ugh. We didn’t have time for sexy staring. If the guard saw him like that, I was dead.
“Senator, sit up,” I hissed.
He blinked, cleared his throat, and got to his feet quicker than I thought possible. He pushed up his sleeves and ran his hands down his hair. Then he moved behind his desk and I sat demurely on the loveseat again.
Seconds later, a guard knocked and opened to let herself in. It wasn’t my imagination that she narrowed her eyes at me, then the Senator, in suspicion. And then her face became a mask of unfiltered jealousy and rage. I scooted to the far side of the sofa. This is what he meant when he said the Baelese who weren’t mating would be edgy.
“Mimasol,” the Senator scolded, standing. “Control yourself!”
Mimasol? Where had I heard that name? I wracked my brain until I remembered. This was Milna’s mother. And was she jealous of me being near the Senator? They had mated and had a child. Was it possible for these people to become attached to lovers like humans did, despite their “no monogamy” laws?
The female guard panted, staring down and clenching her hands into fists. The Senator yelled another name, and a male guard came running in.
“Put Mimasol in a room by herself to calm, and take Ms. Haines to Primo Town.?
?? His voice was steady. “Ten minutes.”
The guard gave him a jerky nod of his head and poked Mimasol with the tip of his rifle. I followed them out at a distance and watched the female crumple into a ball on the floor of the next room before being closed in. I was really glad not to be Baelese, and I wished I could stop feeling bad for them.
As we walked out into the heat, I couldn’t believe my plan worked. Still, my nerves were shot the entire way to the gates. When we arrived, there were definitely less guards than normal. I got out of the vehicle and rushed to the barn to find Linette and Kelsey on short stools, milking a cow. The guard watched me closely from the doorway as I went forward.
Linette saw me, then lowered her head and kept working. Kelsey jumped up and I put a finger to my lips to remind her not to draw attention to herself. When she came forward, I put out a hand to stop her from hugging me.
“Do not touch,” the guard called. Her voice echoed through the barn and Kelsey’s face fell.
“Show me what you’re doing,” I said, purposely moving closer to Linette as Kelsey went back to her spot.
“It looks like you’re doing great with the cows.”
“Ms. Linette taught me.”
I nodded. “Show me how you do it.” Following her over to the cow gave me a better vantage point of the guard, with Linette right behind me. “Oh, very good!” Kelsey leaned her tiny body forward and pulled down, squirting a thin stream of white into the bucket. I leaned to the side and whispered from the corner of my mouth. “Master vessels coming in two days.”
Just as before, Linette continued like she hadn’t heard me. A second later she whispered back, “Be ready tonight. By morning.”
Be ready tonight? For what? Were the people of Primo Town planning an uprising? My stomach turned at the thought. Then she said more.
“Get a weapon and get out of that building. I mean it. Get out.”
Holy crap.
“Ms. Remy, look how much!” Kelsey tipped her bucket to show several inches of milk, and I made an affirmative sound, too distracted to look.
“Ten minutes have passed.” The guard stomped forward a few steps and used her gun to signal me to get up.
I stood. “Good bye,” I said.
Kelsey gave me a sad look and slunk into the stool. My heart would have broken about leaving her again, if my mind wasn’t reeling.
Get a weapon . . . but how?
Get out of that building . . . well, he did say I was to come back to Primo Town. I could make this happen.
I knew Linette, though, and she didn’t do things small. Whatever was coming was huge, and the last thing I wanted was to be stuck in that building when it happened.
Amber
Who knew that so much of preparing for battle consisted of sitting around and waiting? It was enough to drive a person mad. But seeing the Nevada skyline and feeling the sharp sting of summer sun on my arms and face helped to pass the time. Alaska had been gorgeous, and would always hold a special place in my heart as the location I became Mrs. Fite, but being “home” filled me with an energy that no other place could.
I was pretty sure Rylen felt it too. In those moments, as we sat around with our friends, all of us quieter than usual, Ry actually looked content. This is where we were meant to be. Right here. Right now. The time to fight had finally come, and we’d done all we could to prepare. Knowing it would go down in less than twelve hours was a relief.
A murmur of voices rose from the area where the comm guys were working. Matt waved Top over, and we all watched, sudden tension in the air. After a minute of listening, Top whistled and waved his arm for everyone to gather. We jumped to our feet and went.
“Looks like we’re preparing for back-to-back battles,” Top said loudly enough for the mass of soldiers to hear. I grabbed Rylen’s hand as we listened, and he pulled me closer to his side.
“We attack the base at 0300. It’s my estimation that we’ll be in control of the base by sunrise. Then we prepare for what they’re calling the Master Vessels in two days’ time. We are fairly certain there are three ships, but what we don’t know is how big they are. Based on the mass numbers they’ve told us, I’m thinking big. And the metal exteriors they use, made of Baelese elements, will not be easy to destroy. We’re going to have to fight dirty, using both ground and air tactics. We cannot let them land. We must take out their ships mid-air. Am I clear?”
“Hooah.”
My insides twisted at the thought of those ships and the sheer numbers of aliens on them. Not to mention whatever high-tech weapons were aboard. I rubbed my face with my free hand.
“As soon as we take over the base, we’ll need to make quick inventory of their stock, and get set up for an offensive attack. We need every single damn one of you, so do me a favor, will you? Don’t get killed.”
I didn’t join the others in their chuckling responses.
“All right, clear out. Except Amber Fite. Where is she?”
I lifted my chin, and he waved me over. Rylen joined us, and Top cleared his throat.
“I’ve been going over the numbers. I think instead of having you infiltrate the base with our secondary crew after their main building is bombed, I’m going to have you drop into the encampment with the paratroopers.”
Um, excuse me, but what? I blinked, shaking my head.
“I’m sorry, I don’t . . . are you saying . . .” My hands went clammy and my throat closed up.
Top nodded. “You’ll be jumping in.”
“I . . . no. I’m sorry, but no.” I shook my head a little too hard. “I’ve never jumped out of an airplane.”
“You’ll be jumping tandem with Sergeant DePaul.” New York Josh stepped up, at attention, with his hands clasped in front of him. He gave me a grin and nod. I blanched further, stepping back.
“You can do it,” Rylen told me with his gentle confidence.
I was literally breaking into a sweat from every pore.
“I’ll take care of everything,” Josh said. “I’ll hold you nice and tight. You’ll just have to hang on and enjoy the ride.”
Rylen crossed his arms and frowned, muttering, “Better not enjoy it too much.”
Ugh. I kept shaking my head.
“Look at me,” Top said, so I did, clenching my teeth. “You’re our best medic. We need you where there’s possibility of the most injuries.”
“Tater and Remy are in the encampment,” Rylen reminded me.
My heart leapt at the sound of their names, and a thrill shot through me. Then I thought of jumping out of an airplane again, and I was lightheaded.
“Come on,” Josh said. “We’ll go over the details and I’ll teach you what to do on the landing.” He hitched his head to the side and walked off toward the nearby field.
I glared at Top, then Rylen. Rylen nodded towards Josh’s back. “Go on. No fear.”
With a cat-like growl, I walked away from them, not happy about this surprise change of plans. The only thing that lightened my heavy steps was imagining being there to liberate my brother and best friend. Were they okay? Healthy? How would they fare this battle? The more I thought about them, the more my steps lightened. By the time I stopped in front of New York Josh, my chin was higher, and I was ready to learn.
Remy
When I was brought back to the palace and the Senator’s office, he remained standing and didn’t close the door all the way. I listened to the guard’s footsteps going back to the corner at the end of the hall.
I motioned to the door. “Should I . . .”
“No.” He sounded tired. Defeated even. This was not good.
“Navis,” I whispered.
He looked at me for one pained moment, and turned his head away. “This was a mistake.”
“No.” If he pushed me away, my entire plan to get a weapon and the gate code was ruined.
“I cannot allow it.” His voice was low, somber.
“So, I’m going back to Primo Town?”
He shook his he
ad. “You will stay here. I want you near.”
No! Linette’s words kept coming back to me, telling me I had to get out of here. If he wanted me near, I had to try a different tactic. I took one careful step closer.
“Navis, I think being here, in this place, is stressing you out.” I was reaching, I knew, but I had to try. I inched forward. “Let’s go somewhere. Me and you. Drive away for just a couple hours. Nothing is happening here, right? You’re not working. We’ll be safe together. We need this. You work so hard. I promise to keep my hands to myself if that’s what you want.”
“Remy.” He sighed. At least he wasn’t calling me Ms. Haines. “I have obligations and responsibilities that are too important to endanger. And you are far too tempting. I need you to go.”
I lifted my chin. “Then please, if you care for me at all, send me back to town.”
He eyed me. “You’re not safe there with the human men when guards are fewer in number, and the feel of mating is in the air.”
My nostrils flared. “Your mating season is not affecting human men in that way. I can promise you that.”
He smacked a hand to his desk, making me jump as his eyes became fierce. “Why do you want to go so badly?”
“I . . . the kids, of course.” I stepped even closer now, desperate, and saw his chest inflate as he sucked in air. “But only if you insist on not being with me. I don’t want to be alone in my room.” I lowered my voice. “I’d rather be here, with you. I feel like this is our only chance.” Another step closer. “After tonight, I will never try to touch you again.” I pleaded with my eyes, willing him to look at me once more. The tendons in his neck were taut with the effort to keep his head turned.
“You will return to your room,” he said. “Now.”
Damn it! Every hope within me crumpled at the sound of his finality.
He called for the guard, as if afraid he’d give in. I took an ungraceful step back, losing my voice for a moment. Finally, I rasped one last plea.
“Come to me tonight, Navis. Please. We’ll be careful. Just come.”