I forced my feet to move, to turn around. Close up, Starr appeared even more inoffensive than he had from a distance, A weedy, nerdy type who looked as if he'd be more comfortable behind a desk and a computer rather than being the main power behind one of Melbourne's biggest crime cartels.
It was only when you met his gaze that you began to see the truth. There was no life in his eyes, no humanity. Just an endless arctic expanse of bloodshot blue.
Goose bumps skated across my skin, yet deep inside, recognition twitched. Something about those eyes reminded me of someone. Just who, I couldn't quite remember. Not yet.
And yet, there was no one in my life who caused the reaction Starr had - and surely they would have, no matter what form they were wearing. I mean, the outer layer might change, but the soul inside remained the same. And it was the evil that was this man's soul I could feel.
So why was this happening now, and not when I was with whoever he was in my life?
Did the reason have something to do with what Dia had mentioned earlier - that my so-called puberty was twisting and increasing my talents?
Like I needed that when I already had a drug running around in my system causing havoc.
Starr wasn't alone, and I thankfully averted my gaze. Anything was better than staring at evil incarnate for too long. The second man was Starr's other lieutenant, and Merle was every bit as impressive as he had been from a distance. I looked him up and down then raised an eyebrow. "Now, you I'd be willing to play with. Providing, of course, you have something resembling a regular dick."
The words were barely out of my mouth when his aura hit, every bit as heated and will-withering as Moss's. Sweat beaded my skin and rolled down my back, and the low-down ache of desire became so fierce it was positively painful. His smile was all arrogance.
"If I wanted you, I would have you," he said, voice soft, flat, yet filled with the confidence of a man who always got what he wanted.
And with an aura like that, I guess he always did.
His gaze skidded down my body, and the desire burning the air increased, until it felt like every inch of my skin was being flayed alive. My knees buckled under the pressure, and my butt hit the back of the sofa. It was the only reason I remained upright.
His gaze rose to mine again. "And I think I will."
He began to unbuckle his belt and I wasn't sure if it was anticipation or fear that sent a tingle down my spine. Hell, the sex part didn't worry me, nor did having an audience. It was just him. There was something inherently sick about him, something wholly off-center that made a deep-down part of me shiver away from the thought of having him inside. And yet, that foulness held none of the intensity I'd sensed in Moss. Merle was survivable. I doubted Moss was.
"Merle, put it away," Starr snapped, even though Merle hadn't actually gotten it out yet. Thankfully.
But the force of Merle's aura died at the order, as suddenly as a switch being flicked. There had to be were in his mix.
"Where's Moss?" Starr continued, his gaze not leaving mine even though his question was obviously aimed at the spirit lizard.
"Greeting the new guards. He will be here soon."
My heart leapt at the mention of new guards. Did that mean Rhoan had arrived? God, I hoped so. I needed to see him. Needed to talk to him. Get reassurance and guidance and a great big hug.
"Tell him I wish to see him immediately on his return."
"Yes, sir."
Starr's gaze slid down my body. It wasn't a sexual look, more the sort of look one boxer might give another right before their bout. When his gaze returned to mine, it hinted at recognition, and that was a whole different class of scary.
"Do I know you?"
I resisted the urge to lick suddenly dry lips and shook my head. "Unless you've been up to Sydney recently. I've only been in Melbourne for a few days."
"So why do I feel this sense of familiarity?"
"I can't say, sir."
His thin lips curved into what I presumed was a half-smile - though it very easily could have been a half-sneer. "Respectful to those of obviously greater power. I like that."
Right now, I liked that he liked. Anything was better than him mulling over the fact that he knew me. Because if he knew me, I obviously knew him. And for safety's sake, I had better find out how before he did.
I didn't say anything, and he continued to study me. My stomach turned faster than a washing machine on spin cycle, and was threatening to rise at the slightest provocation. Which was weird, because I'd always figured when I finally confronted the man who had chased me, abused me, injected me with crap, and tried to kill me, I'd feel anger - rage - more than anything else.
But I guess in imagining the whole scene, I'd forgotten one important point - Starr himself. Or rather, the fact that it had taken power, cunning, and sheer, bloody ruthlessness to take and hold control of the cartel.
"Are you from the red pack?"
Oh God... he did suspect. But how? Who was the man behind the mask, who was he in my life?
I forced a casual shrug. "I don't know. My mother was human, and never sure who my father was."
"You have the coloring of the red pack."
"She was Irish. I have her coloring."
"Ah. The offspring of a groupie."
I nodded. Wondered if he believed me. There was no expression on his face, no flicker in his eyes, to indicate whether he did or didn't. Just the emotive swirl of evil sucking the very goodness from the air.
"We should talk some more," he said eventually.
My heart just about stopped. I might want to kill him but I certainly didn't want to talk to him. Not now. Not later. Not anytime.
Even killing him wasn't an option right now, not only because of Merle and the black thing, but because Jack would kill me if I did anything before we'd discovered the location of the final lab.
"Talking is fine with me."
He smiled for real this time. It was the nastiest thing I've ever seen. "As if you even had the choice, my dear." His gaze moved to Merle. "Bring her in for brunch."
His words sent another shiver down my spine. I had a bad feeling Starr's idea of "brunch" was not toast and orange juice, but something a whole lot darker. Bloodier.
Merle nodded, and hitched his pants. "Is that all for now?"
Starr snorted and glanced back at me. "My assistant hungers. Prepare for a rough ride, my dear."
I arched an eyebrow. "And Mr. Moss?"
"Will undoubtedly be annoyed at missing the action." He glanced at Merle again. "Do not forget the whore bus."
He nodded. As Starr left, that switch went on again, drowning me in heat and desire. Merle held out a hand, and I went to him, my legs so wobbly it felt like they were about to give way at any moment.
His large hand wrapped around mine, his fingers rough and burning hot. I shivered, and knew in that instant what Rhoan had been trying to tell me. It wasn't the sex that was the worry, it was this - the feeling that evil was about to invade, and somehow corrupt.
All I could do now was remind myself it was better this man than Moss.
Merle glanced over my head, and though he didn't say anything, the soft sound of footsteps indicated the spirit lizard was leaving.
His gaze came back to mine. In the tawny depths of his eyes, lust and insanity seemed to rage. Or maybe that was just my imagination - a natural result of the force of his aura combined with the base sense of his foulness that filled every quick intake of breath.
"We shall fuck here first." Merle tugged me around the sofa. "The scent of sex will inform Moss of what he has missed."
"That doesn't sound very friendly to me." The words came out breathless, sounding anticipatory when the opposite was true. The force of his aura might be such that my skin burned and I ached for sex, but part of me recoiled at the thought of spending any time with this man.
It was weird.
I was a werewolf. Sex was part of our psyche, part of our soul. Come full-moon time, I'd fuck the devil himself and wouldn't give a damn. So why this reluctance? Was it just the inherent sense of depravity I was picking up from Merle, or was it simply the fact that I was fucking him under orders from the Directorate, thereby taking one more step toward finally becoming a full guardian?
Was it a combination of both?
I didn't know.
What I did know was that I needed to talk to my brother. Desperately.
"Friendly is a matter of perspective." Merle pressed the hot ends of his fingers lightly against my chest and pushed me backward. I let myself fall onto the sofa, and watched as he stripped off his pants. Thankfully, his cock was standard stuff - no barbs, no furry stripes, just slightly less than regular-sized pinkish flesh. "He survives. That's friendly enough for anyone."
So the guard had been telling the truth when it came to the relationship between these two men. Interesting. But given my reaction to Moss, it definitely wasn't something I wanted to work with.
His gaze ran down my length, and an anticipatory grin split his lips. "I would fuck you for your looks alone, but it is a true bonus to do so first when Moss has chosen you."
He climbed on top, crouching on all fours over me. His aura revved up another notch, and suddenly it felt like I was drowning in a liquid that was all heat, all desire.
"Do not move. Do not talk."
Or what? I wanted to ask. But talking had become impossible under that wash of burning desire. All I wanted to do was obey. To feel him inside, foul or not. Passive wasn't much fun, but I guess fun wasn't the point of this whole thing. Not for me, anyway.
He thrust inside. With the force of his aura still assaulting my senses, the feeling of his flesh driving inside was such a relief a rumble of pleasure rolled up my throat. God, part of me was more than willing to be silent and still if it meant easing a little of the ache. And it didn't matter how bad his essence or how little I actually wanted him - my body screamed for the release only rigid flesh could bring.
Only it didn't get it.
It turned out Merle wasn't the caring, sharing type. He came far too quickly, leaving me aching with need and more than a little put out. A situation that was not improved when he dragged me up from the sofa then hauled me down the far end of the hallway to his own cold-feeling rooms. Where the whole process began again.
Frustrating, to say the least.
Especially since it pretty much set the tempo for the remainder of our time together. He used his aura like most men used foreplay, and while it made me ready for him, it also became incredibly boring - something I never thought I'd say about sex.
But then, I was never one for passiveness. I liked to get involved, to play and feel and taste. And occasionally, dominate.
Which meant, of course, I had to find something else to do while he got his trigger-happy rocks off. Short of throwing his dull ass off and finding a real lover, that was.
And really, there was only one avenue of exploration left - my senses.
Or rather, my psychic senses.
There were no cameras in Merle's room that I could see, and I hadn't felt the electronic buzz of deadeners anywhere within the mansion - even down here, in either Moss's or Merle's rooms. But Dia had mentioned their presence and I had no reason to doubt her. Besides, I'd seen them in the arena, so they had to be elsewhere. And while I had read the guard's mind with ease, maybe all it meant was that the elevator somehow ran under the radar of the deadeners.
Or maybe my talents were.
The implications of which wasn't something I wanted to waste time thinking about, though I was more than willing to test the full extent of any supposed increase, I carefully slid aside one layer of shields, suddenly grateful for all the weeks of training Jack had been giving me. Dia might have exposed a weakness in my telepathy skills when it came to attack, but that wouldn't be a problem here as I had no intention of dropping all shield layers to attack Merle. I just wanted to test whether I could read his thoughts or not.
And I could.
Sort of. His thoughts were there, a distant blaze of color I could see, but not quite touch.
But if I could see them, then surely I should be able to read them. I frowned and pressed a little harder. It felt like I was pushing through a wall of thick glue. Resistance dragged on every mental step, but it wasn't conscious resistance. Wasn't the sort of struggle that came from a telepath who realizes his mind is being invaded. Maybe Merle was too busy concentrating on satisfaction to grasp the fact his brain was being attacked. Or maybe my talents were simply slipping under his awareness in much the same manner as they were apparently slipping under the electronic deadeners.
But again, the whys of what was going on weren't important. Trying to reach and read Merle's thoughts was. The glue seemed to thicken near the center of the mental fence, and sweat broke out across my brow. My training with Jack had often left me mentally drained, but it had never left me physically exhausted, as this was threatening to. God, every ounce of strength I possessed was being channeled into trying to breach Merle's defenses, and my limbs were beginning to tremble with the effort. If I wasn't careful, he'd surely notice something other than sex was going on.
With the suddenness of a rubber band snapping, the glue gave way, leaving me mentally shaking but floating free in the rush of Merle's thoughts. Though rush was probably the wrong word to use - and if he was any indication, then men really did think of nothing more than reaching the big O during sex.
I moved carefully through his surface thoughts, past the gathering rush of satisfaction, into the darker areas of non-active thought. The bus Starr had mentioned earlier was indeed the one bringing in fresh bedding meat for the pleasure of Starr's guests. Who were, as I'd guessed earlier, both the "department heads" of his own organization, and the various representatives from other cartels. Surprisingly, Starr had no intention of killing them. He was biding his time, waiting until he had gained enough trust to draw the true leaders of the other crime organizations into his nest. But he didn't intend just a mass murder, but a mass replacement. Starr was from the Helki pack, and many Helki wolves were also true shapeshifters - they could assume any human shape they desired. Starr would insert his own people as the head of these organizations, and the cartels wouldn't be any the wiser.
Merle's body began to grind harder against mine and the fire of gathering ecstasy was greater in his mind - a warning I'd better hurry before awareness returned and he caught me in his thoughts.
I slipped a little deeper, trying to find mention of Dia's kid or even a location for the labs. Nothing. Either I wasn't deep enough or Merle was a linear-thinking guy. The sort who only contemplated the things he had to do in the immediate future - which is why I could get so much information on the bus and the other cartels. One thought linked to the other.
Merle began to jerk spasmodically as his orgasm hit, meaning I had to get out, pronto. I pulled back through the glue, the process seeming a little easier the second time around. Or maybe it was simply the fact I was leaving, not entering.
As I opened my eyes, a sharp ringing split the air, just about frightening the shit out of me. My heart seemed to leap up my throat, and I froze like a rabbit caught in a spotlight. Had someone somehow caught my psychic explorations?
Merle swore under his breath and climbed off, and I realized the ringing was a telephone, not an alarm of some sort. I blew out a relieved breath, then sat up and hugged my knees to my chest. Drawing deep breaths to ease the trembling that was part exhaustion, part fear, I looked around. And noticed, on the dresser near the bathroom doorway, a small set of keys.
The elevator I'd come down in had key locks. I had the code, so having the key was the next step forward. Whether the key that controlled the elevator was amongst those on the table was anyone's guess, but I had every intention of finding out. Of course, snatching those keys and getting them out without being caught wasn't going to be easy. Especially when I had no clothes and basically nowhere to hide the keys.
Well, there was one place. But shoving them up there wasn't exactly practical - and it would be more than a little noticeable given the maneuvering it would take.
Though cold steel was in some ways preferable to Merle's foul flesh.
Merle grunted and slammed down the phone. He didn't even look at me, just grabbed some clothes from the pile on a nearby chair and began dressing.
"Iktar," he said, as he pulled on his shirt.
A spirit lizard appeared in the doorway. Whether it was the same one that had been in Moss's room, or another, was anyone's guess. These things really did all look the same.
"Escort her back to the upper levels."
I shoved on my best outraged expression. "What? No 'thanks for the great time'? Not even a damn shower?"
He snorted as he swept up the keys I'd been eyeing and shoved them in his pocket. "No. Now get your butt out of here."
I flounced off the bed and out of the room - a fine piece of acting no one seemed to notice. The black thing led the way out of Merle's colorless rooms and down the sterile corridor, then key-coded the elevator. A soft chime indicated the elevator's arrival. As the doors opened, Merle stomped down the hall toward us, his expression dark as he stopped at the set of doors opposite. He inserted a key, then punched in a code and pressed his hand to the scanner pad. No bell chimed, but those doors opened to reveal, as I'd guessed earlier, another elevator.
More than that I had no chance to see as the spirit lizard all but pushed me inside our elevator.
My shoulder hit the wall with enough force to cause a grunt, but I quickly regained my balance and turned around. The spirit lizard pressed the ground floor button, then turned to face me. Lust burned in his eyes, and his cock was out and erect.
I crossed my arms and feigned indifference. "Looks to me like the servant wants in on the action."
His smile was every bit as cold and as dangerous as Merle's or Starr's, but it was the astute glint in his eyes that made me think something was going on - something other than just the need for a bit of sexual relief.
"Which," he said, his soft tones barely audible over the hum of machinery as the elevator began to ascend. "I will get, or I shall inform my masters just what it was you were doing while you were being fucked."
Panic rose, swift and hard, but I forced myself to ignore it. If he'd been intending to report me, he would have done so by now. I clung to that belief, to the feeling that he wanted something more than sex, and said, "I have no idea what you are talking about."
His smile grew. As did his cock. A tremor ran down my spine. God help me, part of me wanted what he was offering. Wanted to feel his dangerous flesh inside.
Damn Merle and his selfishness.
"They can see, but not hear us, you know."
Like I was going to trust his word. I merely smiled.
"As long as this elevator is moving, they cannot hear conversation. The machinery interferes with the signal and they cannot fix it. And the guard who currently watches the monitors does not lip-read."
I still wasn't trusting him, so I simply asked, "And why arc you telling me this?"
"Because I can taste the use of psychic power, as much as you might taste the scents carried by the wind. I know what you were up to."
Oh, fuck. I should have done as Jack asked, and scouted things out before going full steam ahead. What the hell was I going to do now? I glanced down at his cock. The thick spines lining it. Not fuck him, that was for sure.
"Yes," he continued, obviously catching my look if not the actual direction of my thoughts, "I can taste auras as well as telepathy."
My gaze rose to his. "You bring that near me, and I will kill you."
He raised an eyebrow. "And what makes you think you could get close enough to kill me before I rendered you unconscious?"
The mere fact I'd killed his like before - but that wasn't exactly something I could admit.
He glanced up at the floor indicator. "We have ten seconds left. I want you to meet me near the front of the zoo in half an hour. If you don't, I shall report your activities and you will be killed." His dark gaze met mine. "Deal?"
"I have a choice?"
He merely smiled and stepped away as the elevator stopped and the doors slid open. I walked out and headed back to my room. Berna and Nerida weren't in their beds, which given the ratio of men to women in the arena didn't entirely surprise me. And some men did prefer their bedmates at least willing rather than simply paid vessels of satisfaction. Though I guess that's exactly what those of us who were here as fighters were anyway - we just had a little more choice in the matter.
I hesitated near the foot of my bed, briefly consumed by the ache of tiredness. I wanted to sleep, to just lay down and forget Merle and Starr and every other weirdo in this godforsaken place. But sleep wasn't an option just yet, because I had a lizard to meet, a brother to find, and an ache to ease. I grabbed my toiletries bag and headed for the shower. A good scrub washed the smell and feel of Merle from my skin, but did nothing for the trepidation curling through my gut. I needed to talk to someone now, not later, and the only choice I had was Jack.
I headed outside, ensured no one was within listening distance, then lightly pressed the com-link. "Hey, boss, you awake?"
"About time you reported in," he growled. "I was starting to worry."
Yeah, he was so worried he'd sent in the rescue troops. Not. "You're the one who insisted on sending in the amateur. Don't whine at me if I don't do things the way you want them done."
He grunted. What that meant was anyone's guess. "What's happening?"
I headed up the small path that snaked around the building and onto the zoo. "Several things. Some good, some bad."
He sighed. "Tell me."
"Well, I've rubbed groins with Merle and made him a happy, happy man. And I've discovered that, with a little effort, I can slip through his thoughts, though I didn't dare go too deep tonight."
"Glad caution won out for a change." He paused. "So there weren't psi-deadeners in the lower areas?"
I hesitated, but the fact was, sooner or later he was going to have to know about my apparent ability to override the force of the deadeners. It might as well be sooner. And at least he couldn't rip me into the Directorate for more tests. "There are. My talents are apparently slipping under them."
"We noted a slight increase last time we tested, but it wouldn't have been powerful enough to slide past deadeners."
"Would it have been powerful enough to breach Quinn's defenses?"
He didn't say anything for a moment, then, "When did that happen?"
"Yesterday. I did catch him by surprise, mind."
"It shouldn't have mattered." Again the silence stretched a little, and if I didn't know better, I would have thought he was worried. "It's six months since you were given the ARC1-23. This could be the first sign that it is changing you."
"Or it could simply mean that Dia is right, and my talents are maturing thanks to the fact I'm finally menstruating." There was nothing like clinging to a forlorn hope until the very last moment, but what other choice did I have? I wanted to be normal - wanted to have a normal life. Well, as normal as a half-werewolf, half-vampire guardian could, anyway. I didn't want to be some freak monitored by the labs for every little outlandish change the drugs made. "Wolves do mature slower than humans. And remember, neither Rhoan and I have any idea what our father was, besides a vampire. He could have been a hawk-shifter with massive psi-talents before his undeath, for all we know."
"There were indications of latent talents in all previous tests, I've told you that. But latent doesn't always mean those talents will develop."
"Maybe it's a result of the training you've been giving me."
"Two weeks ago you couldn't have broken through my full shields, let alone Quinn's. If that's what you did, then this is more than maturing talent. You'll have to come in for full tests once this mission is over."
I closed my eyes, blew out a breath. It did nothing to ease the deep rush of hatred and anger. The end of my life as I knew it was one step closer, and I had Starr and his fucking desire to not only build the perfect killing machine but take over the world - or at least the Melbourne section of it - to thank for it. If he'd been near me right then, I would have killed the bastard and been done with it, no matter what the consequences.
"I never wanted to be a guardian, Jack. You know that."
"There's only two places that can give you the sort of help you need to control the power you seem to be getting - us, or the military."
"I don't want anything to do with the military."
"Then my option is the lesser of two evils."
Which wasn't really saying much.
"What else happened?" he said.
I rubbed a hand across my eyes. "I've met Starr. He's not living on the same planet as you and me. You know that, don't you?"
"He may be insane, but he's also extremely clever. Remember that."
"I will." I hesitated. "He asked me if I was from the red pack. He seems to think he knows me."
Jack swore. "That's not good."
"Oh, it gets worse."
"How much worse?"
"I'm about to find out." I rounded the corner of the building and walked onto the soft grass. The night breeze stirred around me, filled with the scent of animals and captivity. Up until that moment, I would have sworn that captivity didn't have a smell, but there it was, filling the night with an odd sense of frustration, desperation, and hopelessness.
Odd that such things had aromas.
Odder still that I could smell them. I might have the nose of a wolf, but until that moment, fear, lust, and death were the strongest emotions I'd caught.
Though technically, death wasn't an emotion, fust a passing that lingered, a sadness staining the air.
"Merle and Moss have a spirit lizard houseboy. He's apparently sensitive to the use of psychic power."
"I take it he knows you were reading Merle and didn't report it?"
"Yes. But he did want a meet."
"Any chance it's just for sex?"
"If he's sensitive enough to catch auras, I have no doubt he's mightily aroused and needing relief. But there's no way known I'm going to be a good fuck-puppy when it comes to him."
"Riley - "
"His dick has spines, Jack."
"Oh."
"Oww is more like it." I grinned faintly. "But I think he wants a whole lot more than sex."
"It wouldn't hurt to have an ally in that place."
"If he can be trusted."
"Rely on your instincts. I do."
Only trouble was, my instincts had been wrong before. And this time, there was no one near to bail my butt out. "I'm heading to meet him now."
"Be careful. Keep the line open."
"Natch." I glanced up as high metal fences came into view. "I'm almost there."
"Just be prepared to kill him if things go wrong."
I didn't answer. If things went wrong, I'd do what I had to do to preserve the mission and keep everyone - including myself - safe. But killing wasn't something I wanted to become comfortable with - even if that's exactly what Jack wanted.
I walked up the small knoll and stopped. The zoo stretched before me, metal and wire entwined with desperation and anger. The things inside might be caged, but they certainly weren't accepting or passive. Which pretty much explained why so many guards went missing. Any misstep was taken as a chance of revenge.
I scanned the cages, taking in the array of creatures, then headed left, to what looked to be the main entrance. Cages containing blue creatures with wings gave way to spiny trolls which in turn gave way to fish people. Few of them slept. Most of them were awake and watching.
Their misery resonated deep in their eyes, deeper inside me. I hated it - hated that I was feeling it. I couldn't do anything for these things from nightmare and imagination. They'd been bred for death, and that's exactly what they'd get, whether from Starr or the Directorate. It wasn't fair, but life often wasn't.
I hated that, too.
Iktar stood, arms crossed, near the main gates. The light above the gates caressed him, making his skin glow blue-black and his eyes eerily luminescent. His cock was nowhere in sight.
Thankfully.
I stopped just beyond the pool of light. "Isn't this a little dangerous? They have cameras monitoring the zoo surrounds, don't they?"
He nodded. "And laser sensors. But whenever Moss and Merle take women, I am given time to come here."
My gaze went past him, and for the first time I noticed shadows in the shadows. More spirit lizards, and of both sexes. "For relief?"
"Yes." He smiled. "As you saw, I am incompatible with human flesh."
"And why would they give you time? You are nothing more than a weapon - a tool to be used - to them."
He smiled, but anger surged in his eyes. He hated captivity. Hated what he was doing and who he was forced to serve. This was no lab-born creature. He was something more. Something far more.
"They value my skills in protecting them when they are otherwise occupied," he answered steadily, voice devoid of the fury so evident in his eyes.
"So why does Moss use you to 'ready' his women?"
"Moss enjoys the taste of fear. I am not his only weapon to draw out such an emotion."
Meaning I had to be thankful Merle had stolen my "services." He might be a boring lover, but at least boring was survivable. While I didn't mind being tied or the occasional bit of spanking, if Moss had tried anything much nastier, I might have been tempted to knock his lights out. And that pretty much would have been the end for me and the mission.
"Those monitoring the cameras might think it a little suspicious that you're meeting me here, though."
"They would, if the camera was working. It isn't."
I raised my eyebrow. "Convenient."
"They are knocked out regularly. It is only a small inconvenience to Starr's people in the long term, but it does give us the means of a little revenge."
Meaning the guards - and the regularity with which they went missing. I shifted my stance and resisted the urge to demand such attacks stop immediately. Rhoan might be acting the part of a guard, but he was also a guardian, the best we had besides Gautier. If he could take on five vampires at the same time, he could handle these nightmares - at least long enough to get the hell away from them.
"What do you want of me, then?"
"I want to make a deal with whoever it is you're working for."
"Depends on what he's offering and what he wants," Jack said.
"What makes you think I'm working for someone?" I asked.
Iktar smiled. "Most women quail when presented with the sight of my genitals. You got ready to fight. That speaks of training. Whether military or something else, I don't care."
"I'm not military."
He shrugged. "As long as your people are willing to deal, it doesn't matter."
"So what do you want and what are you offering in return?"
"What I want is all my people out of here."
My gaze moved to the shadowy forms merged with the darkness. "Your people?"
He studied me for a moment, his featureless face expressionless, yet dark eyes somehow managing to be judgmental.
"How much do you know about Starr and his cartel?"
"I know what this zoo is," I said. "I know the origins of many of the creatures here."
That surprised him. "How?"
My smile was cold. "Let's just say I've had firsthand experience with Starr's objectives."
Some of the tension seemed to run from his shoulders. "Then you know of the labs."
"Yes."
"And you would also know that Starr gathers live samples for his DNA experiments."
"Yes."
He nodded, seemingly pleased. "Then you would not be surprised to discover that many of those behind us are not lab-born, but those collected as specimens."
I glanced at the creatures behind him again. "How did you all get here?"
His smile was grim. "The good thing about spirit lizards is that, aside from gender differences, we all look alike. We had hoped that replacing the lab-born and coming here would provide an easier escape. We were wrong."
My gaze returned to him. "And could you tell us the location of the labs?"
He shrugged. "The building we were kept in had no windows, and we were drugged before we were taken from that place. None of us have any idea where we were or how we got here - though I will say it didn't seem as if we were out for very long."
Not very long could have been ten minutes or ten hours. It all depended on your point of view. And surely if the labs were only ten minutes away, the Directorate would have noticed. They'd been watching the place for ages. "Then what are you offering in exchange for our help?"
"Whatever it is in my power to do."
Which really wasn't telling me much as I had no idea what he could and couldn't do. I studied his featureless face for a second, then said, "If you are able to move around this place so freely, why haven't you done something to release your people?"
"Because we are booby-trapped."
I raised my eyebrows. "Booby-trapped?"
He stepped forward and held out his arm. "Feel."
I ran my fingers up his arm as directed. His flesh was cold and clammy, not unlike that of a frog. I repressed a tremor of revulsion and stopped my exploration when I hit something small and hard near his armpit. "What is it?"
"A bomb powerful enough to blow away half my body."
"Nasty." I let my hand drop and stepped back. I wasn't comfortable standing so close to him, and I had no idea why. Maybe it was just an itchy feeling that while this man might be telling the truth as far as what he wanted, he was about as trustworthy as a rattlesnake. That if he thought it would further his aims, his bid to freedom, he'd kill me quicker than I could blink. Or report me to Starr. "Have you all got one of those?"
"Only those of us he considers leaders."
"Why not just cut it out?"
"Because unless the main unit is destroyed, removing it will trigger the device. We discovered this the hard way."
I tried to ignore the image of splattered spirit lizard, and asked, "And the detonator? Where is it kept?"
"I'm not sure, but it would have to be in either Starr's rooms or the main security room. It needs to be destroyed before we can flee."
"Have you tried to get into either place?"
"I cannot."
"Why not?"
"I have access to Merle's and Moss's rooms and the upper levels. They would kill me instantly if they saw me anywhere else."
The main security room was in the upper level. But maybe Starr figured a spirit lizard heading there could only be up to no good. After all, if he trusted them, he wouldn't have booby-trapped them. "They'll kill me, too, if I go anywhere near either place."
He smiled. "But you have an invite to brunch tomorrow. That takes you deeper into his hole than I have ever been allowed."
"You know," Jack said into my ear, "the aim of an update is to actually report everything that has happened since the last update. What is it about that concept you cannot understand?"
I restrained my grin, and said to Iktar, "How about a trade?"
"Trade?"
"I'll try and get the detonator, if you try and snatch the keys Merle has for the elevator."
He considered me for a moment, then nodded. "It will be a risk, but I will try."
"Good. What does the detonator look like?"
"Like the controller of a game machine, with more buttons." His thin mouth twisted. "So he can kill us off one by one or all at once."
My gaze went back to die listening shadows. "What of the lab-born amongst you?"
"What of them?"
"They're programmed with a different kind of bomb, aren't they?"
Again surprise flitted through his eyes. "You know more than I realized. And yes, they are. But no one can do anything about the triggers in their DNA. They would rather die free, if that is to be their fate, than penned."
"And the other nightmares penned here?"
"They are not my problem."
Charity, thy name is Iktar. Not that I could blame him for looking after himself and his people before everyone else.
"Do we have a deal?" he said. "Will your people help mine escape this place?"
"If he upholds his end of the deal, we'll see his people relocated," Jack said. "I make no such promises about the lab-born amongst them."
"Deal," I said, and held out a hand.
Iktar looked at it, then back at me, and smiled grimly. "I will shake your hand, but know that if you and your people do not hold to your word, I will kill you."
My grin was nasty. "And if I get the slightest whiff of a double-cross, believe that I will kill every fucking one of you."
"That's my girl," Jack said approvingly.
I wished I could tell him to shove it, but with Iktar close that wasn't an option. "When do you want to meet again?"
"Given Merle was interrupted during his time with you, he will undoubtedly claim you again. I will signal you when I have the keys."
"It may take me a while to get the detonator." If indeed I could actually find it.
"That I understand."
I nodded and backed away, not turning my back to him until I was well down the hill. He looked a little amused at the precaution, but I didn't give a damn. Better safe than sorry, and I wasn't trusting that creature for an instant.
"Are you really going to let his people go?" I asked, when I was well out of earshot of the zoo.
"If he and his people prove to be no threat to society, yes. Do you trust him?"
"I think he's telling the truth as far as what he wants, but no, I don't trust him."
"Then be careful when dealing with him."
"Well, duh, wouldn't have thought of that."
He snorted. Not a nice sound in my ear. "Anything else I should know?"
"I want you to check a couple of people for me." I gave him Nerida's and Berna's full names. "Something about them just feels off."
"I'll let you know what we find."
"Is Rhoan in yet? I know new guards arrived this evening, but I'm not sure if he was one of them."
"He got onto the bus, but I can't tell you more because he hasn't yet contacted us."
"Talk to you later, then." I flicked off the link and stopped under the boughs of a leafy elm. The main house stood to my left. The stables to my right. I was bone tired, muscle weary, and the thought of slipping between the sheets to catch some sleep was more than a little enticing.
But so was the thought of easing the deep-down ache.
I wavered between the two desires, but in the end, horny won out over tiredness.
After wrapping the shadows around myself, I snuck toward the stables. They were dark, still. I switched to infrared, saw that there was nothing more than horses inside. The old guy wasn't about, and there were no guards. Still, I had to be careful. The last thing I needed to do was make anyone aware that there might be a horse-shifter spy amongst all the plain old horses in the stables.
I slipped inside the smaller door to the left of the main door and padded down the aisle. Though still covered in shadows, the horses snorted and shied away from my scent. The only one that showed any sort of interest was the only one I was interested in.
I slipped inside the stable and locked the door behind me. The golden haze of shifting swept across his body, then he was standing there, all mahogany magnificence looking good enough to eat.
A wicked grin curved his lush lips "You have a lusty look in your eyes, my dear. Anything I can do to help you ?"
"God, yes."
I took the few steps that separated us and he slid his hands around my waist, his touch possessive, almost demanding, as he pulled me closer still. His body felt like hot steel against mine, his erection even hotter where it pressed against my stomach. Flash fires of desire skittered across my already overheated skin, but I fought the instinct to simply take what I desired. There had been more than enough taking for one night. This time, desire needed to be shared.
"What I want," I said softly, wrapping a hand around his neck and pulling his mouth down toward mine, "is for you to caress me, tease me, cover me with your kisses and your scent, until we're both driven so wild with desire that we can't even think."
"I think I can manage that," he murmured, a second before my lips claimed his.
We kissed as only lovers who are familiar with each other's needs and desires could - deeply, intensely, thoroughly. Kissed until I couldn't breathe and my head was spinning and my body giddy with desire.
Then he moved on, tasting, teasing, his breath as soft and as sweet on my skin as the kisses he dropped down my neck and across each shoulder. And as his clever hands began to explore further afield, I echoed his movements, running my fingers over his body, enjoying the ripple of muscle, the sensation of heated flesh against heated flesh. I breathed deep, letting the combination of musky desire and his more earthy scent fill my senses, my lungs, until the foul memory of Merle's body and scent had shattered and gone.
I let my hands slide farther down his stomach to stroke the long, glorious length of him. He groaned, thrusting into my touch. The heat burning between us became a furnace that made breathing even more difficult, and a primitive sense of power swept through me. This big, potent stallion was mine to do with as I pleased.
And right now, it pleased me to finally take what we both so desperately wanted.
As his cock slipped slowly inside, a moan escaped. I wasn't entirely sure if it was his or mine, and right then couldn't have given a damn, because he began to move and any attempt at thought and reason slipped beyond my grasp. All I could do was climb aboard and move with him, savoring and enjoying the sensations flowing through me.
This time, he took time, stroking deep as he licked and nipped and kissed. The pressure began to build low in my stomach, fanning through the rest of me in waves that built gradually but steadily, until they were a molten force that flowed across my skin, making me tremble, twitch, groan.
As that pressure threatened to blow me apart, his breathing became harsh, his tempo more urgent. His fierceness pushed into me into a place where only sensation existed, and then he pushed me beyond it.
He came with me, his lips capturing mine, kissing me urgently as his warmth spilled into me and his body went rigid against mine.
For several minutes we didn't move, just allowed the cool night air to wash the heat from our skin. Then he stirred, releasing my arms, and giving me a sweet, gentle kiss.
"If that wasn't what you had in mind, give me a few minutes and I'm willing to try again."
I chuckled softly, and touched a hand to his sweaty cheek. "That was brilliant."
He raised an eyebrow, velvet brown eyes amused. "Does that mean there's no second round?"
"Did I say - "
I cut the rest of the sentence off as the squeak of a door opening cut across the stable's restless silence. Kade stepped back, the shifting haze scooting across his body until he was horse once more. He walked to the stable door and peered out. I kept in the shadow of his form, knowing that anyone but a vampire would have trouble sorting out the beat of Kade's heart from mine, the heat of his body from mine.
For several minutes, there was no sound, no movement, from the person who'd opened the door.
Then footsteps echoed, a whisper-soft tattoo of sound that had purpose, threat.
And they were bypassing all the stalls, coming directly toward us.
