Captives of New Pompeii (12 page)

“He had not yet been processed,” he assured
Xyell.

“Let’s get this over with. Then you can get
back to your other assignment.”

Falling into step behind Xyell, Quade
indulged in a vicious glare. Why the fuck did Xyell want him to
seduce his wife? It was so twisted! Laetif was attractive, but
she’d made it obvious she was not interested in a sexual
surrogate.

“About that, Sir. Your wife—”

Xyell spun and slammed Quade against the
wall, forearm across his throat. “I thought I made myself clear.
You are to follow orders. Insubordination is grounds for immediate
termination. How will your daughter survive if I’m forced to cancel
you?”

Quade returned his weapon to its thigh
bracket and refastened the safety strap. Killing Xyell wasn’t an
option. He’d be genetically reconditioned and his daughter would
disappear. Prince Tarhee would see to his fate if anything happened
to Xyell.

“May I know why?” He ground out the words
between clenched teeth.

Xyell pushed off his body, smashing his
throat in the process. Quade gasped then coughed, rubbing his
bruised esophagus. “Normally I’d tell you to go to hell, but I’m
feeling generous and you asked so nicely. It’s really quite simple.
I need her distracted, or better yet, corrupted. She must willingly
participate in our new dynasty or she is a liability. I’m through
with her personally, but I’m not willing to sacrifice the
connections I was able to forge because of her father’s support.
Got it?”

“Yes Sir.”

“As soon as we’re done with the priest, I
want you to find her. Tell her you have been reassigned as her
bodyguard. Then stick with her night and day until she accepts the
fact you aren’t going anywhere.”

“How long will I be reassigned?”

“Until I tell you otherwise. I need to know
what she’s doing, who she talks to and who she fucks. She ran to
Thrax last night and that will never do! The easiest way for you to
accomplish all this is if you’re the one she’s fucking.”

“I see, Sir. Thank you for the
information.”

“Can we go now?” Without waiting for a
reply, Xyell turned and stormed off down the corridor.

So, this wasn’t just a shipboard diversion.
Xyell wanted a permanent spy. Understanding his motivation should
have made the assignment easier to accept, so why was his gut still
tied in knots? He’d fucked his share of women, but ruthless
seduction was really not his style.

“Are you coming?” Xyell threw the question
over his shoulder without turning around.

Quade heaved a frustrated sigh and hurried
after his boss.

The high priest sat on the bunk in the
interrogation room. His features were composed and haughty, but
fear shone through in his dark eyes. He pushed to his feet as they
entered, his gaze wide and wary. “Why have I been taken from the
temple? What do you hope to gain?”

Xyell shoved him back down on the bunk,
standing over him as he explained. “I am your new master. Pompeii
has been destroyed. I need the names and descriptions of everyone
in the city who might attempt to usurp my authority. Convince me
you are worth saving or prepare to meet your goddess.”

“But how was this accomplished? Where am
I?”

Xyell motioned Quade forward. “Motivate
him.”

Quade backhanded the priest, snapping his
head to the side. He raised his hand to strike again, but the
priest cowered.

“There is no need for that! I will tell you
what you want to know.” He swiped his mouth with the back of his
hand, smearing blood across his cheek. “The governor is very
popular. It would be wise to depose him.”

“Go on.”

“Felicia. Do you have Felicia? She could
turn the people against you faster than anyone.”

“Who is Felicia?”

“The high priestess. She has been blessed
with prophetic visions. They have been confirmed repeatedly. They
are accurate and irrefutable.”

Xyell looked at Quade, his expression
contemplative. “Was this woman processed with the other
priestesses?”

“Not to my knowledge. I will check the log,
but I don’t recall seeing that name.”

“No, I will investigate this prophetic
priestess. You have other duties awaiting you.”

Quade inclined his head, despising his
helplessness.

“Have I proven my value?” the priest dared
to ask.

Xyell shot him an impatient glance. “For
now.”

Felicia held her breath as Aiden kissed his
way down the arch of her neck. His hand rested on her breast, the
thumb teasing her nipple. This had been easier when she was in
control. The memories had seemed irrelevant. He reached her
shoulder and lightly scraped his teeth over her sensitive skin. She
shivered and released her pent-up breath.

She would not let Perion invade this moment!
She had wasted too many years punishing herself for his crimes.
Aiden’s lips brushed against the swell of her breast and his tongue
trailed liquid fire across her skin. He was beside her, not on top
of her, but it didn’t seem to matter. She was naked, on her back,
and a man was enjoying her body.

Cold, dark eyes pierced her memory. The
cruel twist of thin lips followed a moment behind. “I cannot do
this.” She pushed Aiden away, unable to still her thundering
heart.

He propped himself on his elbow and looked
down at her, compassion warming his green eyes. “Talk to me,
sweetheart. Tell me what you’re feeling.”

“I thought I could do this, but I cannot.
His image is all I see.”

“How long ago did all this happen? How old
were you?”

“I was fourteen. It has been twelve years.”
She sighed, frustrated by the weakness. “I know I should be over it
by now.”

“I don’t think anyone ever gets over
something like that. You learn to cope with it and you minimize its
impact on your life, but it will always be part of your past.”

She nodded, having come to the same
conclusion shortly after it happened.

He sat, pulling her up with him. “Wrap your
legs around my waist. Let’s try something different.”

His hands supported her and guided her into
position, face-to-face, bodies inches apart. “Touch me as I touch
you. Let’s find our way together.”

Their mouths met in the middle while their
hands explored. She ran her hands up and down his back and he
mirrored her movements. His lips slid over hers and meshed with
hers in a leisurely exchange that left them both breathless.

This was better. So much better. His kiss
was addictive and his touch comforted as much as it aroused. She
pulled back for a moment and told him, “I think it’s being on my
back. It’s too similar to…”

“I understand.” He whispered the words
against her lips then pressed her against his body, heart to heart
and skin to skin. His mouth lured her deeper into the kiss with
soft strokes and gentle nips. She touched her tongue to his and he
curled around her, drawing her into his mouth.

His fingers ran up and down her sides,
knuckles skimming the outer swell of her breasts. It was barely a
touch and yet heat swirled through her chest and pooled low in her
abdomen. She groaned and tightened her legs, trying to bring
herself closer.

He grasped her hips and stilled her restless
movements. “Have you ever touched yourself?”

She shook her head, unwilling to admit she’d
been afraid of losing her gift as well as rekindling the hated
memories. Her gift was so much a part of who she was. Without her
abilities, she would feel truly useless.

So why was she risking it now?

He took her hand and drew it between their
bodies. Her knuckles passed over his growing erection and he
hissed. “None of that. It’s your turn now.”

She barely touched the hair covering her
mound then snatched her hand out from under his. For an instant his
fingers covered her pussy then he went after her hand, stubbornly
bringing her fingers back to that secret place between her
legs.

“I want you to feel why I want you so
badly.” He curved her hand, pressing her fingers into her
folds.

“Why am I so wet? Is that supposed to
happen?”

“Yes, love. That’s how your body welcomes
mine. Feel how soft and hot your pussy is. Imagine how you will
feel wrapped around my cock.”

He pushed her middle finger into her core
and the muscles constricted. Felicia sighed and wiggled, driving
her finger farther into her body. “I feel all tight and
fluttery.”

His hand released hers and he passed his
fingers over a spot at the top of her passage. She gasped and
shivered. “Is that my clit?”

“Who taught you that word? Laetif?” He
stroked her again and all she could do was nod. Sensations spread
through her abdomen and spiraled up her passage like a sensory
tornado. She moved her hand aside and gave him more room to
maneuver, resting back on her hands while he worked between her
thighs. Again and again he strummed that hidden nub until her body
shook with a tension she didn’t understand.

Then his fingers pushed into her pussy while
he stroked her clit with his other hand. She lifted her hips,
taking him deeper, and the pressure inside her released. She cried
out in surprise and awe, pleasure pulsing through her. Her inner
muscles tightly squeezed his fingers as the orgasm swept her
along.

“That was…amazing.” Her breath escaped in
shallow pants.

“That was a taste of what’s waiting for us.
As soon as you’re ready to take the next step.”

“I’m ready now.” She objected reaching for
his cock.

He caught her wrist and shook his head. “You
need time to accept that this can be good, to process the new
sensations.” He pulled down the covers and urged her beneath them
then snuggled against her back. “Go to sleep. We have a lot to
accomplish tomorrow.”

Laetif walked into her cabin and froze.
Quade sat in a chair on the far side of the room, feet propped on
her bed. At least he’d taken off his boots! Which only indicated
his intention to stay. “Get. Out.” She pointed toward the door that
had just closed behind her.

“I can’t do that, ma’am.” His voice dropped
to a soft growling whisper as he added, “I’ve nowhere else to
go.”

“What is that supposed to mean? You’re one
of Mikko’s goons. Go back to wherever you stayed before you… How
did you get in here?”

“Security override.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and
glared at him. “Why would you be given the security override to my
cabin?”

“Because I’m your new bodyguard.”

He couldn’t be serious. “I do not need a
bodyguard.”

“Obviously your husband disagrees.”

Her husband. She cringed at the thought of
Mikko and all the upheaval he had brought to her life. “My husband
is a maniacal bastard. He’s playing some twisted game and I won’t
be a part of it.”

Quade leaned back slightly in the chair,
looking far too at home in her bedroom. “What made you marry a
‘maniacal bastard’?”

“Youthful stupidity.” She sighed, unsure
what to do with her uninvited guest. If she called security, Quade
was sure to flash some manufactured identification or offer a
clearance code that Mikko would verify. Mikko wouldn’t send one of
his thugs into battle unarmed. “Are you going to follow me around
until we reach Fedoros?”

Now that thought wasn’t unpleasant at all.
There was something about Quade that fascinated her. Beyond his
rugged good looks and brooding silence lurked mysteries she longed
to explore. Her cowardice the night before had been
uncharacteristic. He’d just caught her at the end of an extremely
turbulent day.

“No, ma’am. I’ve been assigned until further
notice.” He smiled. The expression charming yet challenging. “Looks
like you’re stuck with me.”

“And you’re okay with being stuck with
another man’s wife?”

“Depends on the wife.”

Heat suffused her cheeks and she turned
away. Even with the bed separating them—perhaps because a bed
separated them—she didn’t feel safe. “I know Mikko won’t relent
once he’s made his mind up, so you’ll have to sleep on the
couch.”

He ignored the comment and stood, reaching
into the pocket of his pants. “I couldn’t find a chess board, but I
borrowed a deck of cards.”

“You want me to sit down and play cards with
you?”

“Is there something you’d rather do?” He
looked pointedly at the bed.

“Cards would be delightful.”

He strolled to the small, round table and
sat. She scrambled for an alternative, but came up blank. Caleb
wouldn’t be off duty for another hour or so and she couldn’t wander
around the hallways again. Besides, it sounded like Quade would be
waiting for her when she returned. Mikko had given him a legitimate
reason for being in her cabin.

She took the chair facing him and watched
the cards fly from his long, tapered fingers. Such graceful fingers
for such big hands. She fanned her cards then shook her head. “What
are we playing?”

“Poker? Colonial rules.” His beautifully
sculpted lips curved with the beginnings of a smile but he
suppressed the impulse before it fully formed. “I play most games
by Colonial rules.”

She should have realized he was a colonist.
The colonies were rough and tumble, creating a fierceness not found
on Fedoros. The strong flourished and people created their own
destiny. She could hardly imagine a world so free. “Mikko doesn’t
trust anyone from the colonies. How did you convince him to hire
you?”

“I was contracted by Prince Tarhee two years
ago and later assigned to your husband’s contingent.” He looked at
her over his cards, dark eyes gleaming in the soft cabin light.
“And your husband assigned me to you.”

“Then you’re part of the private army Tarhee
is assembling for New Pompeii.”