HeroRevealed (11 page)

“Done.”

Her throaty laugh buzzed against his abdomen, shooting
electricity to his rapidly hardening shaft. By the Gods she was magnificent.
The soft moonlight turned her creamy skin alabaster and added silver highlights
to the wavy hair that pooled across his chest. She had put on a lacy black bra
and panty set that emphasized her luscious curves and scratched teasingly
against his skin where she brushed against him.

Brett’s passion was sweet and spicy, like warm mulberry
wine. It poured over him in a hot wave that reminded him of sinking his cock
into her tight pussy.

He tugged on her hair. “Ride me. Now.”

She laughed again. “You’re so bossy.” She caught his hands
and pressed a kiss into each palm then placed his hands over the lace-covered
globes. “Do you like my breasts?”

“Silly question. Of course I do.” He massaged and squeezed,
giving her nipples a hard pinch. “Now ride me.”

“I knew it was going to go down this way.” From behind her
hip she produced a shiny set of handcuffs and slapped one end around his wrist.
“Don’t make this difficult, Kilsgaard.”

Intrigued by what she was planning in that pretty head of
hers, Kristos allowed her to stretch his arms over his head and attach the cuff
to his other wrist. The soft clang of chain against the metal bedframe sent
goose bumps along his flesh. “What’s this all about?”

“You’re under arrest.”

“For what?”

She squeezed the base of his cock, sending a bolt of
pleasure to his balls that drew them tight with an ache to release. “Carrying a
loaded weapon without a permit.”

Their eyes met for several long moments before they both
burst out laughing. She fell to her side and covered her face when her laughter
turned into a snort.

“I can’t believe you actually said that,” he gasped when he
could draw a breath.

She wiped a tear from her eye. “I can’t either. I’ve never
said that to a man in quite that way before.”

“I should hope not. You’re mine.”

“Am I?” She hummed with a secret grin and smoothed her hands
over his chest and down his legs. It was a leisurely perusal that had his hands
clenching with the urge to break his bindings and pin her to the mattress. This
playful side of Brett surprised him and made him realize he had so many
wonderful things he had yet to discover about his woman. He’d let her have her
way with him. Even if it killed him.

Her lips were petal soft and her tongue a hot, wet lash that
seared his heated skin. As she trailed kisses along his inner thighs, the cool
jade pendant around her neck grazed his cock with light, teasing flicks followed
by the scratchy fabric of her bra. The contrast of texture and temperature
twisted the coil of his desire until the metal bedframe dented in his grip.

She straddled his waist. The hot pad of her cunt teased him
through the black lace. She pulled a lacy cup down to expose a puckered tip.
“Suck my nipple.”

“Yes ma’am.”

No need to ask him twice. He pulled the pink bud into his
mouth and rolled it against the roof of his mouth. The silky skin of her inner
thighs brushed his sides as she wiggled and shimmied like a live wire. He
buried his nose against her skin and took in her incredible scent, jasmine with
a hint of cinnamon. She was intoxicating and it made his head spin.

The dizziness worsened until he had to close his eyes to
concentrate on the beautiful woman kissing her way to his straining cock. With
each breath his body sank deeper into the mattress. What magic was she weaving
that made it seem as if he were floating between fantasy and reality?

Her nails scraped his flanks as her tongue danced a line from
hip bone to hip bone. The sensation made him hiss in pleasure, but there was
something wrong. It was as if the wick of their emotional connection was slowly
being turned down until it sputtered out.

Kristos lifted his heavy eyelids and tried to shake the
cobwebs from his mind. A glint of silver from the corner of his vision caught
his attention.

While he had been preoccupied by Brett’s drugging kisses,
she had been busy wrapping a chain of molybdenite around his arms. He tugged
against his bonds with nothing but a soft clink for his efforts.

“Brett.” He tried to keep his rising panic from his voice.
“What’s this about?”

“I don’t want you to escape and take control. This is my
show.”

“Alskata
—” He groaned as she took his shaft deep into
her mouth.

Without their emotional tether, all of the sensation was
centered on the ache in his balls and throbbing beat in his cock. The sensation
wasn’t unpleasant but he missed feeling her in his mind as well as heart. Her
hands worked in tandem with the edge of her teeth and the suction of her lips
to bring him quickly to the edge.

“Brett, untie me. I promise I’ll let you do whatever you
wish. Let me go.”

In response she tightened the suction of her mouth. The
sight of her saliva, wet on his flesh, drew a whimper he was quick to squelch.
From beneath her lashes, her pale eyes dared him to beg.

A
Llanos
never begged.

Her smile grew wider with the challenge and her moan of
approval vibrated down his length and up his spine. His fierce warrior was as
wicked in the bedroom as she was in uniform. Why he thought she would give any
quarter was a mistake born of his male ego. He didn’t need their connection to
know she was going to work him over like a prize fighter in the ring.

As his eyes rolled back into his head he figured it was a
lesson he might be willing to relearn again and again.

The backs of her knuckles skimmed under his sac then lower.
When she speared her finger deep into his ass, he couldn’t hold back his shout
of surprise. Despite his lack of energy he bucked his hips, desperate to tip
over into the abyss.

“Don’t tell me you don’t love this.” She stroked the hidden
gland that turned his cock into living steel.

He was a kite twisting in the wind, flying higher and higher
only to spiral down in a dizzying spin then jerking back up to soar higher.

His throat grew sore from his strangled groans. “I’m going
to come.”

Her husky reply shredded the last of his control. “Give
yourself to me.”

All of the energy in the world gathered in his chest before
exploding in a ball of light and heat, robbing all of his senses except for the
heat shooting out of his cock and the sensation of her wet mouth sucking him
dry.

It wasn’t until Brett tucked the cool sheet up to his neck
that he realized he’d blacked out. Through half-opened eyes he saw that she had
dressed and was pulling on her coat. His arms were still pinned over his head,
the chain wrapped neat and tidy around his muscles like the stripes on a candy
cane.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m securing our future.”

When she turned to leave, panic brought him fully alert.
“Brett, come back here. You are not going out there alone. Brett.” He spat
curses in several languages and pulled at the cuffs. “Do not think for a moment
that this will stop me from coming after you. Brett!”

The click of her boots traveled farther down the hall, then
nothing but silence as the door slammed and the lock clicked in place.

Chapter Twelve

Did she feel any guilt leaving Kristos naked and cuffed to
her bed? Hell no.

Well, maybe a smidgen. But the man had to learn to let her
fight her own battles.

When she arrived at the station the morning roll call was in
progress, which allowed her to sneak undetected to her office. With a brush in
hand, she went into the bathroom to tidy her appearance and gasped at her reflection.
The brush fell to the floor, scattering across the tile.

“Holy shit,” she breathed and leaned closer to the mirror to
examine the pale jade-green of her eyes.

She completed the bond. What the hell did that mean now?

Kristos said mated pairs could sense the other’s emotions no
matter the distance between them. Would he be a living entity inside her,
guiding, arguing and influencing her decisions? Was he in her mind now?

“Kristos?” she whispered, reaching out with all of her
awareness.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, which frightened her more than
the thought of having him in her head. Perhaps the chain weakened their
emotional connection as well.

She shook away the panic that flared with that thought.
Yeah, she was definitely going to call Lucian to release him. An hour, she just
needed an hour to begin securing her future not only as sheriff, but also with
the man she loved.

After she dressed it took only a few moments at the computer
to launch the tracking program given to her by her contact in the city. Once
she baited the trap she knew Neimi would be contacted, exposing the rats in the
department. She linked the program to her Smartphone and set out to collect the
vermin.

Roll call was wrapping up as she strode into the break room
with a swagger loaded with confidence. “Good morning, gentlemen. Deputy Joyce.”
She nodded to the one female in attendance.

Collins greeted her with a raised brow. “Morning, Sheriff. I
didn’t expect to see you so early. I heard you were here pretty late last
night.”

“You know what they say about crime never sleeping. May I
take the floor?”

“Certainly.” Collins stepped to the side.

“I’ve received the warrant to arrest Jebadiah Neimi on
suspicion of illegal mining and collusion. Ottley and Jax will stay in town to
respond to all other calls, everyone else will assist me with the arrest. Neimi
may be one man, but he thinks he’s king shit. Once he realizes he’s losing his
crown he may panic and become unpredictable. We strike after the shift change
at the quarry. Here’s where I want everyone to set up.”

On the white board she drew a rudimentary diagram of the
layout of the area and assigned her men their positions. A charge of excitement
lifted the hair on her arms as the deputies realized she was serious and for
the first time in years they were going on a real, honest-to-God, takedown.

“Team A heads out in fifteen. Team B rolls out in thirty. Do
not draw attention that something is going down and stay alert. We convene at
the location at six a.m. Good luck.”

Once the room cleared she headed for her squad car, reaching
for her cell as she climbed inside. The other line picked up on the first ring.
“Alpha team, the ball’s in play. Stand by for my signal.”

“10-4, Sheriff.”

The cell vibrated as she ended the call. She looked at the
display and felt the bile of betrayal rise in her throat. The trap was sprung.
The time had come to arrest some of her own.

* * * * *

“By the Gods, brother, this is the saddest sight I have ever
seen.”

Kristos cracked open eyelids that felt as if they were caked
in rubber cement. “Kill me now,” he murmured with a grimace, or at least he
thought he made the muscles in his face twitch. He was so weak that it taxed
his reserves to move that little bit. Was it a blessing or a curse that Lucian
was here to see him handcuffed to a bed and stretched out naked like a human
sacrifice? A prime example of the stupidity of a man who let his cock out-think
his brain.

Lucian took a moment to survey the sorry scene. “Oh how I
wish I had a camera.”

A growl rumbled from Kristos’ throat, a vain attempt to show
some sign of strength. To his further humiliation, it came out more like a
feeble moan. “Just release me.”

“That woman of yours is resourceful. I could have used her
as a royal guard.” Lucian chuckled at his brother’s horrified gasp. “Brains,
strength, beauty. She would have made a fine assassin.”

Kristos swallowed a strangled groan, not wanting to
encourage his brother. The only thing royal Brett was going to experience was
an ass paddling. He still couldn’t believe she would use her sexual power over
him to drain his abilities. It was sneaky, underhanded and he wished he thought
of it first. Then he’d be the one to put a stop to the threat against her.

Lucian unwrapped the chain from around Kristos’ arms and
raced with it out of the room. When he strolled back in at a much slower pace,
a smarmy grin curled his lips and his eyes twinkled with the laughter Kristos
was now able to sense he was dying to release. “How did you come to this
predicament?”

Ignoring his brother’s question, Kristos focused on bending
his wrists to better grip the chain linking the cuffs. His fingers felt as
substantial as marshmallows as he struggled to grip the metal. With a
frustrated sigh he clanged the cuffs against the bedframe. “Uncuff me. Now.”

“I think I’ll let you break out once your strength returns.”
He crossed his arms. “Did you let her do this willingly?”

“I have no problem with maiming you if you don’t release me
now.”

“Ah, come on Krissy. I have such few pleasures in my life.
Let me have this one. No?” He raised a brow when Kristos continued to stare at
him with all of the anger, humiliation and worry he funneled into an arrow
straight at his heart. “Oh, all right.”

Lucian grasped the chain between the cuffs and snapped it in
two like a twig. Kristos groaned as the circulation returned to his arms like a
million fire ants crawling over his skin.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like a
boarhund
shit me out then stepped on me.” He
swung his legs over the edge of the bed and rose slowly to stand. The world
spun, buckling his knees and causing him to collapse back onto the mattress.

“You’ve felt worse.” His brother pointed out.

“What is with you today?” He couldn’t stop the cranky
petulance that colored his tone.

“It is the joy of new experiences. For instance, I’ve never
experienced this before.” Lucian grinned joyfully as he held up his phone. “A
text from your sheriff that says, ‘Your brother is at my house and needs your
assistance. Please be kind’. To say I was intrigued would be an
understatement.”

“She must have the evidence to go after Neimi and doesn’t
want me to interfere, otherwise she wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to
prevent me from doing just that. Silly girl. It’s my honor to protect her.”

“Brother, is it more important for you to be right or for
her to be yours?”

What little energy he regained was instantly deflated at
Lucian’s words. In his hearts he knew that he would have to let Brett steer her
own course, but the male in him fought that reality as vehemently as she fought
his interference. “I’m afraid to lose her.”

“Then let her fly. She’ll come back to you.” Lucian tilted
his head from side to side. A considering frown crinkled his brow. “I’m not
sure I can get used to you being a blond.”

“What?” He stumbled to his feet and staggered to the mirror
over the dresser. His hearts raced at the sight of the honey-blond hair that
curled around his ears. The bond was complete. Brett was his mate.

“Congratulations.” Lucian handed him his clothes.

“Thanks.” He pulled on his jeans, still distracted by his
new appearance, then he ran both hands through his hair and doubled over with a
groan. “How can I not go after her now?”

“Can you sense her?”

He slowed his breathing and stood still. Borrowing from the
well of Lucian’s serenity and steadfastness, he reached out with his powers,
sifting through the sea of emotions of the people in the town to hone in on the
one whose signature matched his own.

“I found her.” His eyes flew open and he rubbed at an ache
that settled behind his sternum. “She’s…sad.”

“Is she hurt?”

“No, just sad. I have to help her.” He finished tugging on
the rest of his clothes.

“What do you have planned so that I can interject a thread
of sanity?” Lucian held up a hand to stop the interruption that had sprung to
his lips. “She’s my sister now. I don’t want anything to harm her either, but
we must be rational.”

Kristos absorbed the affection Lucian had for Brett and
relaxed with the knowledge that between the two of them she would be safe. “If
she has the evidence to arrest Neimi, she must also know, or least has a
suspicion, about who on her team is working against her.”

Lucian nodded and began to pace. “That may explain why she
is sad. I know how difficult it is when someone you have trusted betrays you.”
Their eyes met in a brief moment of remembrance. “If you were Brett, what would
you do?”

He smiled at the thought of what hell she’d bring down. “Go
right up to Neimi and face him like a warrior.”

“Who would you have as backup?”

“My most trusted men, and at least one traitor to lead the
way and to make an example of.”

“Of course.” Lucian’s smile widened. Kristos wondered if he
knew that his posture straightened into the stance he used as the Head of the
Guard. As stern a taskmaster as there ever was. “So what will you do?”

“Observe from a distance and interfere only when necessary.”

Lucian clapped him on the back. “You can be taught.” He held
up a finger and crossed to the door. “I have something for you.”

He gaped in shock as Lucian tossed him his royal uniform.
“What about maintaining a low profile?”

“We are all learning how to do what is right and not
necessarily about being right.”

“Thank you, Lucian.”

“Thanks nothing. I’ll be right beside you.”

His bark of laughter hurt his throat. “I knew it. The
Chameleon is too powerful to resist.”

“I wouldn’t say that, but your woman is in need and I will
provide help.” He held out his hand with his fingers curled in a half circle.

Kristos slid his palm along his brother’s then locked their
fingers together to form a tight circle. They released their hold then gripped
each other around the forearm and bent at the waist in a short bow.

The
Llano
s brothers were on the mission.