Carinian's Seeker (3 page)

“I have acquired the target, Natasha. You may report to the Council that she is scheduled to fly back to San Diego tomorrow, just as they arranged,” he drawled in the most bored voice he’d ever heard himself speak. “I’ll be sure to contact you as soon as Dr. Derrickson leads me to Sidheon.”

“Dr. Derrickson, is it? Surely you’ve gotten past the formality of last names with her, Jon,” Natasha said cattily.

Bix didn’t bother to answer. He put the phone on speaker mode and tossed it on the bed. His pants hit the floor, followed by his shirt and underwear. Naked, he ducked into the small bathroom and turned on the shower.

While the water warmed, he strolled to the closet and pulled out his only set of clean clothes for tomorrow. The dirty laundry was stuffed inside a duffel bag and tossed next to the door for easy retrieval before his jaunt to the airport in the morning. After a lengthy silence, a hard, angry female voice crackled over the phone line. Natasha. Hell, he’d almost forgotten she was there.

“The temporary house in San Diego is all set up, Jon. Alaan will pick you up at the airport and assist you as needed.”

Bix called over his shoulder with a distracted, “Fine,” glad his best friend would work this case with him. Excellent. He ducked into the bathroom again and flipped on the faucet over the small sink. “What about the territory leaders in California? They know I’m coming?”

“All taken care of. I don’t have any additional intel other than what I sent you yesterday before you flew to Colorado. If anything else comes up, I’ll try to get it to you before you board your plane to San Diego tomorrow.”

“Yep,” he mumbled his response around his toothbrush.

“Good luck, Jon. I look forward to seeing you when you report back to headquarters.”

“It may be a while,” Bix mumbled, wrinkling his nose in distaste. “If there’s nothing else, Natasha, good night.”

“Good night, lover.”

Bix clicked off the speakerphone and snapped the unit shut. It landed on top of his bag at the door as he headed for the shower. His hand settled on his left shoulder, digging into the muscles there. Odd. It was tight, sore and pulsing. He hadn’t worked his shoulders this week at all, but the pain was acute.

The bathroom filled with a fog of soothing steam. He stepped into the tub and yanked the shower curtain closed. The strong, hot spray of water pulsed over the muscles of his back and thighs as he searched inside himself for the source of his discomfort. His keen senses dipped below his skin, into his veins and slid along and through his muscles. When he searched the connective tissues of his throbbing shoulder there was nothing unusual. But if it was perfectly fine, why the hell was it so sore?

He shut off the shower and headed to bed. Under the cool sheets and scratchy blankets, his thoughts settled on a beautiful woman with dark brown eyes and skin, and a body to die for. A body he wished he could cuddle up to right now.

His fingers had itched all through dinner to bury themselves in her thick, curly hair to see if it was a soft as it looked. The short-sleeved tee she wore let him look his fill at smooth-as-velvet skin over sleek muscle. His thoughts strayed to the elegant curve of her neck. Keen ears had picked up the strong pulse beating there as they’d talked and laughed over their meal. He imagined the same beat now. Strong. Steady. His cock swelled and pulsed in time with the imagined thump of her heart.

Hell, it was going to be a long night.

“You fool. Incompetent, idiotic fool,” Sidheon roared, not bothering to hide the sharp points of his fangs from the human trembling in front of him.

“I’m sorry, Dr. Sidheon, but I thought this cart was yours,” the little man stuttered, shrinking away from the very strong hand capable of snapping his neck like a chicken’s.

“Well, it is not mine. If this is not my specimen cart then where the bloody hell is it?” Sidheon thundered. If it weren’t for the fact this man could be trusted to keep his secrets he’d have replaced him a long time ago, brilliant or not.

“They were all lined up next to one another in the hallway. Everything looks so much alike. I—well, someone else must have taken your specimens by mistake. Or maybe the quality folks just got them mixed up. Don’t worry. I’ll find them, Dr. Sidheon. I’ll find them.” The little man bowed and scraped.

“You had better, Dan, or I promise to peel your hide,” Sidheon hissed on a promise of pain. Lots and lots of pain as his incisors glowed a muted orange from the flame of the Bunsen burner on the lab table. He shooed the human away and watched him scurry towards the door, knowing the puny man was on the verge of peeing his pants.

Sidheon strode out of his lab door, locked it behind him and made his way down the hallway. There were only four labs on this level and security up here was airtight. The cart couldn’t have gone far. He discreetly peeked through the small square window of each door, trying the handles as he passed. Where the hell were his experiments and all of his samples?

He looked through the window of the last lab and caught sight of his cart, identifiable only by the purple bands around some of the tops on the glass vials tucked neatly into dozens of small boxes. The stainless steel cart sat unobtrusively off to the left side of the door leading into Dr. Carinian’s labs. Bloody hell.

He pressed his forehead against the cold reinforced glass of the window, not bothering to try the door handle. If Dr. Carin wasn’t in her lab the doors stayed locked and dead bolted, even if she was in the building. Sidheon’s cool breath steamed up the window, momentarily obscuring the cart on the other side of the steel door. He needed to get it back before the good doctor had a chance to explore too much.

He hoped he wouldn’t have to kill her, at least not before he had the chance to fuck her. A perfect picture of her equally perfect body formed in his mind, prompting a bulge to form at the crotch of his pants. Sidheon licked his lips at the thought of her luscious curves and miles of smooth-looking skin. And her scent. Spicy, clean, invigorating. Like allspice and ginger. He’d seen her working out a couple of times in the company gym when she was working late. Smart and beautiful, a rare combination these days, the woman had the firmest, sexiest ass he’d ogled in ages, literally. Though he’d enjoyed her from a distance with only an occasional polite hello, perhaps he’d take it a step further, reveal his desire for her. Then maybe show his true nature? Play with her awhile, like a cat waiting to pounce on its favorite toy. Something he’d never contemplated with a human. But if she played nice, maybe he’d bless her with some of his cock before he gorged on her blood.

Chapter Four

Carin pushed the call button on the shiny double-doored elevator, smiling wistfully. Her mind drifted back to her trip to Colorado where she’d sat in a restaurant with Jon Bixler and talked about everything from favorite football teams to friends with fake boobies. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d felt so free or drawn to anyone who wasn’t family.

An unexplainable sadness crept over her, realizing she’d probably never again see the man who’d made her laugh like a loon and treated her with so much kindness. She shook her head at her pity party, stuck her key into the elevator panel and pushed the button for the nineteenth floor. The doors were closing when someone called her name.

“Dr. Derrickson? Hold the elevator please.”

Damn it, not now.
She groaned inwardly, immediately recognizing that voice. Her boss, Charles Martin, the last person she wanted to see. In all the years they’d worked together she’d always blown off his advances as nicely as possible, even when she’d returned his many gifts of flowers and chocolates. The man was oblivious of her lack of interest and as long as she smiled and remained cordial he seemed to believe he had a chance with her. Did he? Hell no. But his unspoken hope kept her in a position to get what she needed—access to the most sophisticated materials and equipment for her projects. In spite of the fact he was a total pervert who only wanted a piece of her ass, Carin almost felt guilty for using the bastard.

“Good morning, Charles.” Her voice was pleasant as she plastered a patient expression on her face and smiled into his black beady little eyes. Funny, they didn’t quite fit into his pasty face. While his eyes were too small, his skull seemed too large for the rest of his body. The combination of picking up his lecherous emotions and looking at him came close to causing her physical pain. Charles might be a certifiable genius, but Carin didn’t think she’d ever seen a more ugly man. It took all her willpower not to scrunch up her face on a wince.

“Thanks for holding the elevator, Dr. Derrickson. By the way, what are you doing here? I thought you were going on vacation right after your training. You’re not scheduled to return until next week. In fact, didn’t your flight from Colorado land just an hour and a half ago? I know you’re eager to catch up on things but…”

Lord, the man sure could talk. She should be used to his chatter by now but it still irritated her like a bad rash.
God, he makes my butt itch
.

Just before they glazed over, her eyes lost focus on Charles and riveted on the tall man entering the elevator behind him. Her mouth fell open and her wits flew right out of her head. Bix? And damn, was he wickedly handsome, the epitome of masculinity with silky dark hair and lightly tanned skin. Her dark eyes met his honey laden silver-streaked ones, and her heart slammed up into her throat. She couldn’t help but stare as she took in the cut of his black tailored suit set off by a cream silk band collared shirt. A tailored trench fell from his neck to well past his calves. The man was impossibly wide across the shoulders. The clean lines of the leather coat accentuated his powerful build, even if he was probably the only person in all of San Diego walking around in a real winter coat. Expertly cut, it made her think of the cool garb worn in the movie,
The Matrix
. On his feet were polished black…Doc Martin boots? Now
that
was an eyebrow lifter.

Curiosity finally overrode the initial shock of coming face-to-face with the tallest, most impressive man she’d ever had the pleasure of spending time with. What the hell was he doing here? Still standing behind a blithering Charles, he winked at her.

“Hi, Carin. How are you?”

Oooooh, this was bad. The smooth tenor of his voice brought visions of him kissing her senseless in a hotel hallway into her suddenly empty head. She looked down at the floor, examining her shoes as she tried to get her thoughts together.
Deep breath in. Now let it out slowly.
Okay, back to the original question—what was he doing here?

“I’m fine, Bix. Thanks for asking. And what brings you here?”

“You two have met already?” Charles asked, his whiny voice laced with something akin to suspicion.

“Yes, we met in Colorado while I was at Aegis for software training.” The elevator doors closed and Charles stood next to her while Bix moved to an unobtrusive spot behind her. The confined areas had never bothered her before, but Bix’s presence filled the small box speeding her upstairs to her labs. He even seemed to take up all the air, let alone the space.

Carin discreetly breathed a sigh of relief when Charles pushed the button for the tenth floor. At least he wouldn’t be getting off on her floor. She stiffened as a purely sensual feeling slid over her skin. Instinctively, she knew it was Bix’s gaze burning through the back of her suddenly too-tight royal blue silk blouse. Her breasts began to swell and the nipples pebbled against the sheer lace of her bra.
This is insane,
she thought, even as her body reacted to the mere presence of the man standing behind her. Just like in the hallway of the hotel in Colorado. She hadn’t understood it then and didn’t understand it now.

A light sheen of sweat formed under her arms. She folded them over her chest and held her lab coat closed. It wouldn’t do for Charles to see her nipples stabbing through the fabric of her blouse. Though he’d probably like the show, damned perv.

“Well, I’m glad you two have met, Cari,” Charles said happily, his voice a little too high-pitched. She hated when he called her Cari. Charles’ expression cleared while Carin’s brows scrunched together. Why would Charles be pleased she’d met someone? A very good-looking someone she hadn’t expected to see again, ever.

“Mr. Bixler flew in this morning, too,” Charles continued, oblivious to her mood, as usual. “He’s going to oversee your current gene therapy project.” He grinned, expecting her to be pleased with the change of oversight.

“What?” Lab coat and swollen breasts forgotten, Carin rounded on her boss, hands on hips and her eyes wide with a mix of anger and shock. This would ruin everything. If looks could kill, she’d see Charles six-feet under by noon.

“The company is sending me to Puerto Rico to oversee the building of the new biotech plant. Since you’re the consultant for the gene therapy his organization is paying us to develop, you’re on loan to Mr. Bixler starting Monday morning. Internally, you’ll still report to me, just from long distance.”

Carin blanched. Aw hell, there was still equipment in her lab she’d, uh, “borrowed” from Research and Development, like the cell transfection machine she hadn’t signed out properly. In fact, she’d skipped going on vacation after Colorado for the sole purpose of making sure the thing wasn’t missed. Besides, she’d planned to spend the extra days working on her private project, but with Bix in play she’d have to make an unplanned trip back to R&D. She’d have to move fast.

Jingling the set of spare keys to her lab, Charles said, “Mr. Bixler and I were just on our way up to your lab to look at some of your documentation. But since you’re right here, why don’t you take him up with you and show him what you’ve been working on? I’ve already provided him with some of the information, but I figured a look at the real thing might better get him prepared to jump right in on Monday.”

“Uh, yeah. Sure.”
Shit.
So much for having the weekend to clear the things out of her lab that shouldn’t be there. All she could do was hope Bix didn’t know what he was looking at. Like Charles.