CarnalPromise (23 page)

The onslaught pushed her over the edge. She couldn’t stop
the rising of her orgasm now. Her shoulders hit the ground and she grasped her
pebbled nipples, tugging and twisting them with just enough pressure to enflame
her. The myriad feelings pushed her to the top.

Jinn ground her cunt into his mouth, wanting more of him.
Drakkar must had understood as he willingly grasped her ass hard and suckled
her. Waves of pleasure overwhelmed her, each peaking higher, higher. With one
final nip from Drakkar her climax exploded. She came with all her being. The
only sense she had was of her, Drakkar and their bond.

Panting, her warrior arose from the water. There was no
slowness in him now. He needed her as she had needed him. Hovering over her, he
thrust inside her wet pussy, stroking fast and hard. Again, her lust rose. She clenched
the small muscles within her canal, tightening around him, her climax surging.
As she came she heard his deep groan when he exploded within her.

More than heat, more than pleasure filled her. It was a
deep, soul-rendering satisfaction. She was home.

She closed her eyes and let the feeling soothe her as
Drakkar laid his hard body against her, cradling her in his arms, resting his
head against her breast, panting so deep she suspected it would be difficult
for him to speak.

She rubbed her hands against his back and through his hair,
massaging the tense muscles beneath. Closing her eyes, she relished the more
relaxed moment in his arms. Drakkar did not know her secret, yet for a moment,
she’d almost revealed it to him. Thank the stars she had not said anything.

She brushed her lips against the hairline of his forehead,
knowing she did not want to lose him now.

He stirred and she quickly flipped the moisture away from
her eye. When he lifted his head, he smiled at her and Jinn thought that one
view could last her the rest of her days.

“I’m glad you like my private place, Beloved.” His voice was
still gravelly with the headiness of sex, but she loved it.

Jinn ran her hand through his hair. “I do indeed, my
Beloved.”

The sparkle in his eye and the large grin on his face was
all she needed. Somehow, she would see this through.

Morning came too soon for Jinn. Her body ached from the
vigorous sex they’d had the night before, as well as having too little sleep.
The hum of voices sounded in the distance. His mother was here again with the
other two men.

Jinn rose and garbed quickly in the military clothes that
Drakkar’s mother had left. Quietly, Jinn pattered out the door, hoping this
time to hear more of what they said. A door to a room next to theirs stood
open. Sasha lay inside on a fur rug. Jinn lifted a finger to her lips in hope
that the beast would stay quiet but as she did so she noticed the old-fashioned
papers lying around the wolf.

Jinn tiptoed inside and picked up one of the pieces then
another.

The script was wild but beautiful. Upon reading the pages,
Jinn realized they were letters of prose. Poems of good destroying evil. And of
love. Had Drakkar written these?

Oh beauty of the cerulean night, how far the nearest star
does shine? Yet, you my love, here in my arms, burn much more brightly. The
unrestrained heat fires my soul to love, and love you more.

Ebony hair, fragile cheeks.
Jinn scanned downward in
search of a name but found none as she came to the end.

Alas, my dove, when times which we must part, I bid you
goodnight, but never goodbye.

The sign underneath was a Begothan dragon, a powerful but
whimsical creature from another age. Who had Drakkar loved and lost?

“My son was quite a writer at one time.” Drakkar’s mother
walked in as quietly as she had approached and picked up another of the papers.

Jinn frowned. Being with Drakkar must be messing with her
instincts. Normally she would have heard the woman, even with a warrior’s
stealth. What was wrong with her senses?

Jinn shrugged it off and stared at Ástrid. Her intended
mother-in-law seemed immersed in the prose she read. A crease formed between
the woman’s brows. Jinn needed to know why. “Was Drakkar in love with someone
he lost?”

Surprised, Ástrid stared at her a moment, as if she had been
in another world, then she shook her head. “Only a fantasy of his. Come.” She
took the pages from Jinn and tossed them all to the ground then held out her
hand. “We have work to do.”

Jinn rose and took Ástrid’s proffered palm but then
Drakkar’s mother paused, holding Jinn back. From the focused look on the
other’s face, Jinn knew Drakkar’s mother warred within herself.

Until her face grew placid.
She has decided
. Jinn was
pleased she could read the woman well enough.

Ástrid raised her chin and locked her gaze with Jinn’s.
“There was a woman. She broke Drakkar’s heart. I’m sure he’s been over her for
a long time. He came to realize she wasn’t what she had appeared to be, then he
was done with her. So please, forget about this and don’t broach the subject
with my son. I’m sure in time, if he thinks it right, he will tell you but I
swear to you now, it was a mistake of youth. He found he had not really loved
her. Please forget this. Besides,” she said, patting Jinn’s hand with her free
one, “you have enough to keep you occupied for the time being.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more.” Ástrid didn’t know how
right she was, still Jinn wondered about this mysterious woman. However, Jinn
agreed. The time for answers was much later. With a sly twist of her lips, Jinn
returned Ástrid’s smile, knowing one way or another, Jinn would find her uncle.

* * * * *

The musty rancid smell from the street was enough to make a
normal person vomit but with everything Hunter had seen in his short life, he
barely noticed.

A brisk Telrusian wind blasted him as he stood across the
alley behind the Nyphosian temple, hidden in one of the many dark crags
surrounding the older building, watching.

The temple was more than just an outlet. It served as the
Nyphosian consulate, too, which was why his father stayed inside, pretending to
get more information from the Nyphosians as he waited for Knossos. In reality,
Rurik was giving Hunter time, deflecting the Nyphosians attention to him so
that Hunter could track—a job he volunteered for but with a strict warning from
his father not to engage. Hunter had no problem there. From what he had learned
about Craddock and his bio, he didn’t want to confront them alone, although he
was prepared just in case.

Even so, when the time came to make the charge, they would
have to rely only on his father’s ship. The rest of the original team that had
tracked Jinn had split. Drakkar had left with Aunt Jinn immediately after the
signing and Khariton, captaining the
Intrepid
—Drakkar’s flagship,
followed soon after, needing to complete other work to keep the peace.

Hunter huffed, allowing a slow smirk to grow from cheek to cheek.
The Telrusians were happy about the exodus. They didn’t really appreciate
having both a Svendian and a Vulgarian warship in the area at the same time,
especially since a truce had been reached. Made the locals really nervous—another
reason why they kept the planet’s portals closed. But with the political
upheavals on this rock and the violence that resulted from it, Hunter
understood.

There were enough reasons to justify the severe controls the
changing governments used to keep the dissidents down. In a way, that only
helped Hunter’s mission. Kept the locals focused on Telrusian affairs instead
of anything a half-Earther, half-Svendian would be doing. Hunter was sure his
great Uncle Craddock hid here for the same reason. The man didn’t want anyone
butting into his business.

But now Hunter was onto him and he needed to locate Craddock
fast before the bastard killed anymore people with his damn scheming.

To do it though, Hunter followed his gut, which was why he
sat out in the cold of this hellhole of a planet. Eyeing the rear entrance, he
watched for any sign. He had his suspicions. For one, Hypatia’s attention to
him seemed too keen, her administrations more ardent than the other
priestesses. He suspected the young woman knew something more than what she
should about why the Svendans and Vulgarians were there. Besides, her being in
that scum of an alley in the first place pricked Hunter’s bullshit meter. Aunt
Jinn had been tracking Cassius. The threat to the priestess was the only thing
that had stopped her. Those events were too coincidental for Hunter to brush
off.

Lightning streaked across the blackened sky then thunder
rumbled in the distance. Another storm brewed.

Hunter fingered the Colt he’d hidden under the waist of his
jacket, a weapon he’d had with him when his aunt captured him several moons
ago, in a time when he naively believed that his former stepfather was his real
father and that extra-terrestrials only existed in some crazy peoples’ heads.
Little did he know that he was really the son of an alien. A powerful one at
that.

Meeting his
real
father then his grandmother, well,
that had been a bit overwhelming at first but Hunter quickly adjusted,
forgiving his father for leaving them as he had. Rurik had only wanted to
protect them from the brutal war he fought and had lost loved ones in. Having
experienced losses himself in war, Hunter understood.

Bored, yet on edge, he fingered the knife he’d placed up his
sleeve. He had another blade in his boot, just in case. He wasn’t taking
chances. Yeah, normally the laser pistol would be more effective but Hunter’s
gut talked to him on this one, too, so he left the techno-gadgets behind.

Another slash of light split the sky then the hard rain
pounded on the cobbled road. The bolt seemed to rip the clouds open. Looking
up, Hunter muttered under his breath then flipped his hood over his head and
brushed the wetness from his face. Telrusia was the damndest planet he’d been
on thus far. The fucking place never had a sunny day. And there was water.
Everywhere. He’d been told there were several deserts nearer the poles but
Hunter would have to see it to believe it. It was no wonder the Galactic Quorum
worked hard to keep peace here. Water was a precious commodity to the galaxy
and this planet had a thousand times its fair share.

Kismet
, Hunter thought. Not unlike the oil shortages
on earth. And just like some on Earth with other, more violent countries, the
Quorum overlooked many of the atrocities in this place just to keep the water
flowing, so to speak.

Hunter took a deep breath and cleared his thoughts. He had a
mission.
Find Craddock. Soon.
The peace between his father’s and his
friends’ planets depended on it. But in order to do that, he had to track
Cassius. Just as Jinn had suspected, the biodroid would lead Hunter to the man
he sought.

The necessity made Hunter uneasy. If a confrontation
happened, Cassius would be the hardest man Hunter had ever fought—if you wanted
to call the guy that, but Hunter had been well warned. The biodroid would kill
without hesitation, without emotion. And the nano-technology integrated into
the bio’s body made him even more powerful. Besides the ability to quickly heal
himself, Hunter feared that there were other facts about the man/machine that
no one knew. Like maybe the ability to manipulate any electro-magnetic device?

Which was why Hunter ditched the space-aged gadgets and kept
the Colt with him. Yeah, the pistol was metal but there were no electronics
that the bio could track. From Hunter’s point of view, he figured there was no
reason to take a chance. Stealth and surprise would be his main weapons—if he
needed to defend himself—then when the time came to nab Craddock, Hunter
wouldn’t be alone.

In the meantime, Hunter would test his patience and wait.

“Pittuh.” Jinn pushed her darkened hair from her face and
spit the brackish water from her mouth. Ten days into the training and this was
all they had to offer?

She fingered the wet black lock that fell into her face
again and growled. She’d picked the disguise—black hair, light green eyes and
darker skin—so that she’d look more like a Vulgarian. Not that some Vulgarians
weren’t blonde but they were fewer here and there was no reason to bring any
attention to herself. Being a female, she would stand out regardless,
especially if she got farther than most of the other women.

Grimacing, she dipped the miniscule brush into the pail
again and continued to scrub the floor, this time making sure she kept her
mouth shut to prevent the chance that a splash of filthy water would get
between her lips.

“Errrr.” She growled under her breath, frustrated that they
hadn’t really begun. Shatz, she could have spent this time with Drakkar,
getting more information from him as well as pleasure but it seemed life’s
twists were against her these days. She grimaced at the pail of water. Her
“duties” were continually in the ancient-working kitchen—carving root
vegetables, cleaning dishes—scrubbing the floor with a finger-sized brush. How
stupid was this? These jobs were something they made new recruits do, not
someone who was experienced. And why the hell did she get stuck in the kitchen
when the others, even the females, had better duties outside?

But at least here she was alone. She grumbled again but with
less animosity. These tasks were designed to show the candidate humility. At
least that’s what she and the others had been reminded.

Bull-shatz.

Jinn thought it was more to get needed labor done, jobs
completed that the trainers didn’t want to do. And there were a lot of them. The
camp was totally manual and self-sustaining. Part of the training, to give a
candidate for the “elite” program the skills to survive in less advanced
societies.

So be it.
She’d deal with it. Right now, she had no
choice.

Footsteps shuffled outside the door then the antique portal
was pushed open. The camp commandant, Karl of the House of Vold, marched to her
and stood over her. “I see Mace put you in the kitchen.”

Jinn sat on her heels and glared up at him. “And all the
others are outside. Is your lead trainer afraid I’ll give myself away?”

Karl huffed with his crooked grin and nodded. “That and the
fact that you’re pretty much an unknown to the rest of them.” He knelt on his
haunches in front of her. “You’re supposed to be from a smaller, more remote unit.
A tracker for special projects. Shows you have experience in an area that is
needed for the special teams. The explanation makes sense if you think about
it. The rest are from bigger units, ones that you wouldn’t have dealt with.
Naturally they wouldn’t know you or have even heard of you. It isn’t far from
the truth, which makes it a good cover, so it’s to your advantage. Besides, our
trainers thought you’d like it. I was told you were particularly good at
tracking.”

“I am.” She wasn’t about to reveal to her enemy that she was
the best.

Karl nodded. “Good. I hope you took the time to observe the
others and how they act and that you noticed at least some of the small
differences in our customs and military procedures.” He stood. “You’ll blend in
better if you have.”

Jinn’s lips thinned as she nodded. She had, as much as she
could. At least from the other women she bunked with. The guys bunked somewhere
else and she only got glimpses of them while she worked. She didn’t even know
how many of them were in training, although the girls would talk about the ones
they thought were hot and the ones they thought would excel.

Jinn had to wonder if the women only came to search for a
mate, with the way some of them giggled about the boys. Jinn also wondered when
their sleeping arrangements would change. She’d been told they kept the sexes
separate for the first few weeks, just to weed out those that weren’t serious.
Jinn imagined that that tactic was meant for only the females but she wasn’t
sure.

Karl grimaced as he planted his fists on his hips. “Don’t
fret. Today is the last day of the trial period. Tomorrow the real training
starts. I’ll be checking on you every so often. Told Drakkar I would but I’ll
have to do the same with the others as well, just so I don’t give you away.”

She understood and jerked her chin down as a reply, not
letting on what her thoughts had been.

“Good.” He turned on his heel and marched off but stopped as
he reached the door. “Oh, by the way, you’ll have a training partner. Everyone
does but Drakkar handpicked this one himself. I’m sure you’ll appreciate that.”
The smug bastard winked at her then walked out, letting the door flap on its
hinges.

Jinn stared at the brush then tossed it in the water.

Tomorrow
. She stared at the swinging door. Finally,
time to get this part of her penance over with.

* * * * *

None of the moons of Telrusia were out, making the alley
dark as hell. For a week now, Hunter had tracked Hypatia. He was sure she
didn’t realize it but he hoped none of her cohorts did either. For certain, he
knew he wasn’t watched. Continually he checked his clothing and other items he
took with him to make sure no one planted a bug. Another reason why he didn’t
get one of those learning implants that one of his trainers had suggested. Yeah,
it would have helped him assimilate sooner, learn more about this new world
he’d been dragged into a lot faster, but he didn’t like the idea of some
electronic gadget in his head.

Who knew what else it would do? Could someone backdoor the
damn thing and track him? What if it got some kind of virus? He wasn’t going to
take the chance. Hell, when he went out like this he even ditched the
communicator he’d worn in his ear, which would have translated any
galactic-common language.

Yep, the move was risky and definitely made it tough to talk
with others but he thought doing so kept him safer, although there was no place
truly safe on this rock. Hidden in the alley behind the temple, he glanced
around, studying the old buildings, used to the fact that when you waited for
something to happen all you could do was think as you watched.

At one time the place was a paradise—forward-thinking
people, technologically advanced, lots of touchy-feely stuff, at least from
what he’d been told, but then the place became overrun with others who wanted
what the Telrusians offered. Eventually, the economy couldn’t handle the
overload and it failed. After that, everyone turned from nice to murderous just
to stay alive. Hunter pondered that thought as he eyed the rear door. How many times
in the past had civilizations failed like that?

A brisk wind blew crap in his face. “Fuck,” he muttered,
thinking he should be used to it by now but the idea fled as he heard the sound
of a creaking door in the strands of the breeze. A cloaked figure eased out of
a lower entrance to the temple, one that led to the basement. Hunter had
thought that door continually locked. He knew there were enough protection
devices on it. Besides, hardly any of the Nyphosians went to the basement.

His nerve endings prickled. Was this Hypatia? A globe light
eked its ray over a part of the figure. The cloak was different. That much
Hunter could tell. He watched the figure slink up the wall, hardly making a
sound on the stone steps. If Hunter hadn’t been watching, he would have assumed
that even the tap-tap of the figure’s footsteps was due to the wind.

The darken form turned its head, scanning the area then,
staying to the shadows, it darted off. Hunter eased from his hiding place to
follow.
Too damn fast for Hypatia.
But who else could it be?

He fingered the Colt as he cautiously followed, releasing
the safety just in case.

* * * * *

The crisp morning was enough to stir Jinn. She’d never been
a patient person but the week of waiting only made her more eager. Yeah, she wanted
to complete this phase so she could go after her uncle but there was a part of
her that relished the challenge to prove herself capable.

Especially to Drakkar.

Jinn had already awakened when the call to assemble sounded
in the wee hours of the morning. She’d been the first to run outside. The brisk
autumn air slammed into her, rejuvenating her, stirring her more. She was
anxious but excited. She’d be the first Svendian to go through the training. A
woman, no less. For a Svendian female warrior, this was a coup. Yet only a
handful of people would ever know.

At this point, Jinn didn’t care. Her goal was to get through
this as quickly as possible and head after Craddock. Still, she had meant what
she told Sophos. She wanted to be a warrior. Hell, she
was
a warrior,
damn it. She’d worked too hard to give that up. Besides, she was good at it.
Really
good in some aspects—especially, as Karl had intimated, when it came to
tracking.

That ability both the Svendians and the Vulgarians would
need to find Craddock and any of his associates.

More trainees lined up with her. A larger man pushed between
her and the other next to her as they all jostled into place. Jinn watched for
Mace and the other trainers, yet she had this eerie feeling the new man next to
her studied her much too closely. She turned and glared at him. The guy only
scowled and nodded his head—looking a hell of a lot like a younger Drakkar but
with lighter brown hair and golden eyes.

“Damn,” she grumbled under her breath. Yeah, Drakkar had
handpicked this guy, probably told him to watch out for her too.

Drakkar’s relative studied her with a wary eye until Mace
pulled up with the other trainers and they were called to attention. The lead
trainer stepped from the open transport, looked at her and the Drakkar-lookalike
and growled and drilled Jinn with the deepest look of hatred she had ever
experienced.

She bit her lip but kept her chin up. From the corner of her
eye, she studied her new “partner” and knew this would be a long, hard training
session indeed. In more ways than one.

* * * * *

“We could kidnap her. We have the resources.” Fenden watched
the old Svendian swagger back and forth across the room and wondered how much
he and the other Renegades would make on this new wrinkle in the old man’s
plan.

“Not now. Too risky. We don’t want any of our resources
compromised. She’s safe from Drakkar and Rurik for now. No.” He shook his head.
“We’ve waited this long to overthrow this abominable political situation.”
Craddock stopped. His ice-blue glare cut through Fenden. “We can wait a few
lunar cycles more.”

Fenden jerked his chin in a nod. He knew better than to
question the old man. It would only show weakness to the ex-headmaster, a
situation Fenden never wanted to be in because once Craddock got the idea stuck
in his head that a man was pliable, the prick would sic Cassius on him, who
would then make the guy do whatever Craddock wanted. Fenden had seen the
results of some of the bio’s
persuasion
—and it wasn’t pretty. If
anything, Fenden made sure he stayed his own boss. Besides, he was only in it
for the money. The Svendian had been a great resource for that and it would
cost Fenden if he somehow developed a conscious for all this. “So, what do you
want me to do in the meantime?”

Craddock snorted. “Keep drilling your crew. News travels
fast and the better prepared we are, the sooner we can move. The time will come
when we can rescue Jinn but when it does, I’m sure speed and accuracy will be
required.”

Fenden nodded again then turned to leave, knowing the old
man would wait for the prime target environment. Craddock was clever about
that. In the meantime, Fenden had a lot to do to get ready—especially when it
came to making his profit.

Hidden in a dark corner of the old building, the mutated
female watched her sponsor leave. Anya scowled, knowing her eyes narrowed as
she did so. Drakkar’s bitch was in the Warrior’s Way?
Hell
.

Then the thought struck her. She had her own resources.
Hell,
indeed
. If Anya wasn’t afraid of giving herself away, she would have cheered
aloud. Still, she smiled, relishing the fact that the prissy bitch wouldn’t
know what hit her.

* * * * *

“Move your ass, Pixie!” Trainers were posted along the path
to push the candidates or as Jinn saw it, to give them more grief to increase
the workout’s mental challenges. Jinn sprinted as fast as she could, ignoring
the jibes. Still, the effects of being a fugitive for so long had worn her
down. Even so, she picked up the pace as best she could. Hell, she still ran
faster than any of the other female candidates, even a few of the men. In
fairness though, some of the males lagged from injuries sustained from battle
exercises the day before.

“Saehildr, get that skinny butt of yours moving. You think
the Svendians will wait for you to get away from them? They’ll blast that rear
off before you know it!”

Jinn bristled. Didn’t the son of a bitch know they weren’t
at war any longer? She pushed herself harder and forced herself to stay
focused. Under no circumstances could she afford to give herself away.

The top of a steep hill lay ahead. Her partner, Drakkar’s
second cousin, had already reached the apex, relishing his completion as front
runner of the event. The man was unstoppable. Certainly one of the leaders in
the physicality of the training, if not the best warrior in attendance. There
were a handful of men like him but Ragnar definitely stood just a cut above the
others. Thank the ancestors that neither Drakkar nor anyone else had told
Ragnar much about her. All the “facts” Ragnar knew only pertained to her
cover—with the proviso of Drakkar’s asking Ragnar to watch over “Pixie” and
push her on to see how far she could get.