HeroRevealed (10 page)

“It’s a chain.”

“From…”

“I saw one similar in Jebadiah Neimi’s office.”

“As in Neimi Mine and Gravel?” Lucian asked, still toying
with the chain as if it was the most fascinating object he had ever
encountered.

“Yes.”

Papa Bear stepped closer.”Why is it wrapped around the
license plate?”

“I’m guessing that it’s a warning. I had some questions for
him about the cave-in. He showed me a length of chain similar to that made from
a mineral called molybdenite. When heated just right it’s supposed to be the
strongest thing on the planet.”

“And you suspect that he’s mining for this mineral under the
park?” Kristos asked her while watching Lucian with a frown that deepened with
each graceful movement of his brother’s hands.

“Yes.” The curiosity finally broke her. “What are you
doing?”

The corner of Lucian’s lips curled. “I have some suspicions
of my own.”

“Care to share?” she asked when an explanation never came.

“When Kristos told me how he lost his powers in the cave I
went to do a little investigation. After being underground for a few minutes, I
began to feel weak, like after a grueling run up the mountain. I was about to
gather some soil samples when the ground began to shake. I followed a maze of
tunnels until I reached the surface and saw the land slide down to block the
river. By then my powers had somewhat returned.”

“And you feel that weakness now holding that chain?”

“I do,” he said, more in wonder than concern. “However this
is a bit different. A slow sucking of my energy as opposed to the overwhelming
exhaustion I felt in the tunnel. I wonder.”

He walked to the front of the cruiser and gripped the bumper
with both hands. With a deep grunt, he lifted the front of the car. His arms
shook and his lips pulled back over his teeth. Picking up a Crown Victoria was
no small accomplishment, but from what she’d seen of the Kilsgaard brothers it
should have been as easy as retrieving the morning paper.

The front bounced as he dropped it back on the ground. Sweat
clung to his upper lip and his eyes appeared dazed. “Here, Sheriff, put this
back in your pocket.”

She tucked the chain away. “Are you all right?”

“We shall see. What concerns me now is that this man
sabotaged your car.”

“Right.” She kicked at the remains of the tire in thought.

“Did you know,” Kristos said, “that when I’m near a person
who is worried I feel a sick, swirling sensation right behind my sternum and a
there’s a bitter taste on the back of my tongue, just like I can taste right
now?”

She rubbed at the back of her neck. “Neimi may have
insinuated that Sheriff Billings might have known about the digging and bought
his silence.” After her meeting with the three council members, she now knew it
wasn’t an insinuation. “If the sheriff was on the take, I have to wonder if one
or more of my men are in on it and if it was one of them that sent the
warning.”

It was one thing to not have her men’s respect because she
was a woman, it was almost expected, but to have one of them out to do her harm
cut deep. Your police brethren were supposed to have your back. It was one of
those things that was unquestionable. Now who was she to trust?

“I need to get to my office.”

“How can you think of returning when you have a target on
your back?” Kristos exclaimed.

“Kristos.” She fisted the front of his shirt and pulled him
down until they were nose to nose. Whether it was his powers or some cosmic
connection they shared, the rolling in her stomach was just like he described.
She could taste his fear for her. “I understand your fear and I thank you for
saving my life. I’ll be careful. But you have to trust me. Please.” She pressed
her lips to his in a soft kiss that was a promise as well as a request. “Meet
me at my house later. I know you can let yourself in.”

He closed his eyes tight and a shudder rolled through his
body. She stroked his chest, thankful that he was making an effort not to
immediately overrun her wishes.

With a deep breath, he opened his eyes. “I have complete
faith in you. But if I don’t hear from you by midnight I’m coming after you.”

She shook her head with a chuckle. It was a start.

As he trailed his finger over her cheek, it was then that
she noticed the dark-blond lock of hair curling over his left eye. In all of
the excitement she had completely forgotten about her eyes.

She wound the strands around her finger and let it go. “We
have a lot to discuss.”

At least he had the grace to blush. “If you need anything
call me.”

“I will.” And she meant it.

“Ready, Lucian?”

“One moment.” He gripped the bumper of the cruiser and
lifted the front as high as his shoulders and set it back down as if it were a
Matchbox toy.

“I think Lucian has found a new puzzle.” He kissed her
again. “Anything and I’m there.”

She pushed at his chest. “Go.”

They disappeared into the brush but she knew Kristos hadn’t
gone far. The fight with him for her independence was not going to be won with
one battle. Patience was the key, and lord above, she hoped she had enough. But
he was trying and his effort would not go unrewarded.

A flashing red light preceded the arrival of the wrecker
trundling down the dirt road. Jerry stepped out with a whistle and wiped a red
rag over his heavily lined forehead. “Wowie, Sheriff. God must’ve been watching
out for you to keep from plunging over that edge.”

Hysterical laughter flirted with her lips. “You could say
that.”

Chapter Eleven

It was after eleven when Brett ended the last of a long line
of phone calls. In the Cedar Sheriff’s Office, resources were slim and she wore
many hats. When she left the city police she made sure she maintained
connections with the right people. It might take a while before she had her
answers but the ball was rolling. With nothing more to do but wait, she changed
her into her civvies and headed home.

She opened the door to the soft sound of the
Late Show
on the television. After hanging up her coat, she crept into the living room
and took a moment to enjoy the sight of a sleeping Kristos splayed out on the
sofa. The light from the TV flickered over his face in blues and greens, making
him look like an alien. One leg hung over the back of the sofa and the opposite
hand rested on the floor. He is so frickin’ adorable, she thought with a quirk
of her lips.

He started when she turned off the television and sprang to
his feet. “Hey.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Welcome home.”

He held open his arms and her feet barely touched the floor
as she flew into his embrace. Strands of hair from her braid stuck in his
stubble as he rubbed his cheek against the top of her head.

She had long ago forgiven him for his earlier behavior.
Mostly. Once she was ensconced in the privacy of her office, and the crazy
events of the last forty-eight hours had become nothing more than memories, she
had been able to really focus on her feelings for Kristos and thought about
what changes they would bring to her life. Their dilemma was not going to be
solved overnight. Baby steps, it was going to take baby steps to prove to him
she could be a superwoman and do it all. Withholding her affection would only
her hurt as well as him, and after the stress of the day she needed his touch.

With a soft sigh, she snuggled deeper into his embrace.

“The night must have gone well. You feel so content.”

“Nothing concrete but I have some feelers out.” She hugged
him tighter around the waist then pulled back to stand on her tiptoes. As her
lashes drifted shut, she saw the slow curl of his smile before his lips touched
hers.

A lazy river of heat seeped into her bones, melting away the
tension caused by a rough day. The tip of his tongue skimmed along the seam of
her lips and she opened without hesitation, coaxing him inside to taste his
fill.

“Perfect,” he whispered against her lips.

Pure joy. That was what letting go of old fears brought to
her life, pure joy. It wrapped her in a fuzzy cocoon from head to toe and made
her damn glad to be alive.

“I’m going to jump in the shower.” She took his hand and
tugged him behind her. His deep chuckle sent shivers down the back of her neck
and across her nipples. The tips beaded against the fabric of her sensible bra,
scraping the delicate skin with a promise of what was to come.

The bathroom shrank in space the moment Kristos joined her.
His hand brushed her backside as he turned the water on in the shower, while
her own hand trailed slowly over his abdomen as she reached for a stack of
towels.

He stopped her when she reached for the band tying back her
hair. “Let me.”

His fingers were gentle as he released the strands. He
smoothed the ends over her shoulders and down her breasts. “Do you know how hot
it makes me knowing that I’m the only man to see you this way?”

God, she hoped it was as hot as he made her.

His green eyes glowed brighter as she stripped the sheriff
away to reveal the woman beneath. The woman who ached for her man. The desire
in his gaze flared into stark hunger as she slid her trousers over her hips.

Steam swirled around his shoulders as he slowly undressed,
returning the tease. She finally had to look at the floor and bite her lip to
keep from giggling with unadulterated glee. This perfect creation of man was
getting naked in her bathroom? Unbelievable.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

“I can feel your laughter. It’s like a billion bubbles
racing over my skin.”

She slapped at his arm. “Stop feeling my emotions. I hate
that.”

He shook his head and lifted her into the shower. “Can’t be
helped. We’re connected, you and I.”

“Connected, huh?” She leaned her head back into the spray.
“Is that why my eyes are white?”

He suddenly took a deep interest in creating the perfect
swirl of bath gel on his palm. “Perhaps.”

“Explain, please.”

“Now?” He slid his soapy hands over her breasts, massaging
and squeezing the soft mounds and making her eyelids drop in pleasure.”You
don’t want to talk now.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Nah, not now.”

She let out a soft moan as he twisted the tips, alternating
the pressure and rhythm that kept her off-balance. He was good but she was not
without her own tricks. She forced her eyes open and reached up to tug at the
hair along his nape. “Now. I’m not going anywhere.” She scraped her nails along
his chest as her other hand cupped his balls. “And neither are you.”

His groan rumbled down his body to where her fingers rolled
and squeezed his sensitive sac. The vibration ran up her arm and set her clit
to throbbing. It took a herculean effort to keep from dropping to her knees and
taking his cock to the back of her throat. He tasted so good but she needed
answers more than his flavor on her tongue.

“That’s a very effective interrogation technique you’ve
developed,” he moaned. “They teach you that in cop school?”

She squeezed the base of his shaft. “Talk.”

“You’re evil.” He kissed the tip of her nose then reached
down to still her hand. “On Skandavia when a man and woman decide to join their
lives together, one of them will speak the sacred bonding words while making
love and their emotions intertwine. That way they will always know what the
other is feeling no matter where they may be. Instead of exchanging jewelry
they exchange physical traits to show that they’ve mated.”

Realization cut through the sensual fog like a knife. “You
spoke those words to me?”

His cheeks went red, and not from the hot water. “Yes.”

“Are we…mated?”

“Not yet. Subconsciously you picked up on the bond and
refused to complete the connection.”

“How long does the bond last?” she asked, although she
suspected his answer.

“’Til death us do part.”

The shower stall seemed to close in around her. Hot air
filled her lungs, suffocating her, as she struggled to take in a calming
breath. He took her choice away from her and, what, she was supposed to be
grateful? “How could you do that without asking me?”

“I’m sorry— No. Actually, I’m not.” He cupped her face in
his hands. “I’m not sorry I said the words to you. If I thought for a moment
that I was forcing you into something you didn’t want then I’d feel guilty. I
know you want me but you fight it. You have a fear of the future. I had hoped
that once we bonded you would share my strength in us.”

She shook her head, unable to face the passion and certainty
in his eyes. “What makes you so sure of what I want?”

He placed his hand over her heart. “Because I
feel
you. I feel what’s in your heart, what you fight.”

Trapped in the circle of his brawny arms, she couldn’t run
from the truth. This was way beyond taking things one day at a time, enjoying
the moment for what it was. Yes, she loved him, but how could she plan a future
when there was a very real possibility there wouldn’t be a future? The logic
was insane, she knew that, but the fear lingered.

“Why am I here now, Brett? Have you stopped running?” Steam
filled the room, obscuring her surroundings. In the white billowy clouds
Kristos was an avenging angel claiming his earthly prize. He pressed the hard
planes of his body to her soft curves, smoothing his hands down her spine to
cup her buttocks. “I wish you’d show the same courage you use at work with me.”

That was different. Wasn’t it?

He didn’t give her the chance to respond as his lips sealed
over hers, incinerating any thought of denying him her passion. Perhaps more
than their physical traits had been exchanged with the attempted bond. His
hunger for her punched her in the chest, filling her with a fire that made her
heart pound and her thighs slick with cream. Empty. God, she was so empty.

The tips of his fingers skirted along the cleft of her hind
cheeks before he pressed two deep into her slick sheath, caressing the
sensitive nerves and making her writhe. He swallowed her cry as he pushed his
thumb into the untried passage of her backside.

“Do not tell me you don’t love this.” He panted against her
cheek. “Dear Gods, you’re melting in my hand.”

Brett bit her lip until she tasted blood. The wicked
pleasure was unbelievable. She was so wet, her pussy gushed as he worked her
body to a fevered pitch of want. She wanted to come so badly, she wanted his
cock filling her, she wanted his cum to splash inside. She wanted Kristos.

“I can feel you,
alskata
. I feel your desire, the way
your heart pounds, the fire in your veins, the uncontrollable clench of this
sweet pussy. It’s so electrifying it burns in my belly and tightens my balls.
It’s almost as good as being inside you.”

“Please, Kristos. Please,” she begged, not sure what she
cried out for. “I can’t—I can’t—” She squeezed her eyes shut as her knees gave
out.

He was right there to catch her as she collapsed. He lifted
her against the wall and impaled her on his pulsating cock, driving deep and
true.

It was too much. Kristos was too much. His touch, his kiss,
all overwhelmed her. Breathing was impossible as she drowned in a tidal wave of
pleasure so intense her belly cramped and her muscles ached with effort to
fight the all-consuming desire to let go, to unleash her fear and give her
entire keeping to Kristos.

And he knew it. “Don’t fight it. Don’t fight me.”

His powerful thrusts picked up speed, shuttling her to the
edge of mindlessness. Her fingers slipped off his shoulders and her legs
refused to grip his hips, but true to his nature, Kristos kept her secure in
his grasp.

“It’s too good.” Her tears mingled with the spray from the
shower. “It’s too much.”

“It’s all that I am,” he groaned then thrust so deep the
head of his cock nestled deep in her core, jetting his hot seed and branding
her as his.

Her screams echoed against the tile as the tornado of her
orgasm picked her up and threw her into oblivion. Her mind was not her own. Her
body writhed and convulsed in ecstasy, soaking in every drop he produced, as if
her body was a desert and he the first rain.

“I love you, Brett,” he murmured into her neck. “I love
you.”

He didn’t need to say the words. She felt his emotion more
keenly than she her own. His love for her was so beautiful, so bright and warm,
like a bonfire on a cold night. It was sweet like the ripest berry, more dazzling
than the biggest diamond. It amazed and humbled her that he felt so strongly
for her, Brett Briggs. What had she done to deserve something so pure and
amazing?

She continued to cry, overwhelmed by the flood of emotion.
He kept her in his arms as he turned off the water and carried her out of the
shower. Setting her on the counter, he pulled out a towel to rub her dry before
focusing on himself.

While her tears ebbed, she watched him whisk the towel over
his skin. He paused when he caught a glimpse of his reflection. Blond streaks
ran through his hair like a tiger’s pelt. She turned to look in the mirror. The
irises of her eyes were still white. The bond was not complete.

“Kristos, I’m sorry.”

He placed a finger over her lips. “I don’t need the words, Brett.
I know.”

Son of a bitch. He made her want to cry again. She couldn’t
complete the bond. Not now. Until she put an end to whoever was threatening
her, she couldn’t make a promise to Kristos no matter how much she wanted to
otherwise. Yet guilt about not saying that she loved him was there because she
did, and he deserved someone who embraced that love wholeheartedly.

“Can I carry you to bed?”

She nodded, her voice raw from her screams and the love she
didn’t dare speak out loud.

As he carried her she didn’t feel weak or helpless, but
cherished. He wanted to take care of her. He wanted to see to her needs and now
she understood that it didn’t mean he didn’t think her incapable. He loved her,
and because of that, he wanted to do for her.

A techno-dance beat shrilled from the bathroom the moment he
set her on the sheets. She pointed to the pile of clothes scattered across the
threshold. “That’s my phone.”

“I’ll get it.”

He dug into the pocket of her pants and retrieved the phone,
bringing it back to hand it to her. She was very impressed he didn’t look at
the display or say a word. She pressed the screen to see the text message
waiting in the inbox. It was her contact from her former department.

Found a trail that’s very promising. I’ll call in a few
hours.

“Do you have to go?” He sounded calm and half interested,
but his body went tense and he held his breath.

“Nope, just getting the routine check-ins.” She turned off
the ringer then set the phone on the nightstand. She turned back around to kiss
his lips.

“Good, then I get you all night long.”

She rested her cheek against his chest and stared at her
cell phone, waiting for Kristos to fall asleep.

* * * * *

Now that’s how a man should be woken up.

Kristos sighed and ran his fingers through the silky tresses
of the woman sliding her tongue over his belly. “What time is it?”

“Dark,” she answered in a voice still husky from her earlier
screaming orgasm. “Your body heat is keeping me awake. If you plan on sleeping
over here again, I’m gonna have to install an air conditioner.”