Mystic Militia (24 page)

“This is not good news.” Odintar shifted in his seat, obviously uncomfortable with the revelation. His discomfort compounded Tori’s anxiety. Odintar was the resident Rodyte expert. If he was freaked out, the rest of them should be too. “If the Rodyte royal family is backing the hunters, this has to be about more than a handful of belligerent mercenaries.”

“And the Mystic will be able to tell us everything Allenton knows. He’s the Rodyte woman’s lover. I’m hoping he has all sorts of helpful information tucked away in the back of his mind.”

“Is ‘the Mystic’ Varrik?” Odintar couldn’t seem to let it go. “We all know what he’s capable of.
Why the secrecy?”

Lor chuckled. “Sorry to torment you, but I really can’t say.”

Odintar crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Lor.

“Hello,” a deep voice called down the corridor.

“We’re in the galley, Elias.
Straight ahead then to your right.”

Tori hadn’t recognized Elias’ distorted voice, but obviously Lor had.

Elias walked into the galley, a triumphant smile parting his lips. “I found the holy grail, people. You’re not going to believe this.” He set down a black binder in the middle of the table then flipped it open. Lor and Tori both rose and flanked him so they could see what he’d found. He slowly flipped through page after page of…Tori wasn’t sure what the pages were. Each started with a headshot of a young female, but the text was written in a language she didn’t recognize.

“Where did you find this?” Lor asked, obviously highly interested in the pages. He looked at Odintar and asked, “Are
these what
I think they are?”

“If you think they’re detailed descriptions of each woman’s background, health and habits, then they’re what you think they are.”

The writing must be Rodyte if Lor couldn’t read it. Elias flipped the page and Tori gasped. “That’s Angie.”

Lor slipped his arm around her waist. “We already knew she was a target.”

Then the pieces snapped into place and Tori felt physically ill. “These women are all targets? There is no way the hunters could have compiled this in a few weeks. They had to have been planning this for moths, no more like years.”

“This was waiting for the hunters when they arrived,” Odintar predicted. “Sevrin has been a busy little Rodyte.”

Lor seemed to shake away his shock and focus again on action. “I need you to translate this as quickly as possible. We need to know what qualifies these women for this…”

“Program,” Elias suggested. “This isn’t a spontaneous hunt. This is a meticulously organized program.”

“If we can figure out the characteristics connecting each female, it should tell us what the hunters are really after.”

Odintar nodded. “I’ll get right on it.”

Elias handed him the binder and Odintar strode from the galley.

“Thank you.” Lor shook the human’s hand. “I was hoping you’d stumble across something useful. This is much better than I’d expected.”

“Glad I could help. If you need anything else, I’m a phone call away.”

Elias’ departure seemed to suck the energy out of the room. Fatigue pressed in on Tori with ruthless persistence. She blinked and blinked, barely able to keep her eyes open.

“What now, Commander?” Dekker asked.

“Everyone except perimeter sentinels needs to get some shut eye. You’re all exhausted.”

“Don’t say that as if you’re not included in the observation. Your mate is basically asleep on her feet.” Dekker nodded toward Tori.

Lor looked at her and smiled. “I should probably take you home.”

“If you don’t, I will.” Blayne grinned.

The three soldiers laughed then Dekker said, “We’ll work out a guard rotation. Go. Get some sleep.”

“Oh, they’ll sleep—
eventually
,” Blayne teased.

Tori blushed to the roots of her hair. “Can we go now? They’re only going to get more obnoxious the longer we stay.”

Lor pulled her into his arms and she pressed her face into the warmth of his throat. “We’ll see you tomorrow.” Without further ado, he flashed them to Tori’s living room.

Tori rolled her shoulders then rubbed the back of her neck. “You’re the
one
who’s done all the work, so why am I so tired?”

Lor moved behind her and brushed her hand aside then began a firm massage of her tense muscles. “I’m used to stressful situations. This is still new to you.”

“In other words, I’m a
wuss
?”

He laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I didn’t say that.”

She turned within the circle of his arms then looped hers around his neck. “We did
good
tonight. Didn’t we?”

“We did
good
, but this is only the beginning. Things are going to get much worse before they get better. We cannot allow ourselves to become complacent.”

“I know, and I agree.”

“And you are much better prepared to deal with what’s to come now.” He leaned down and kissed her. “I can’t believe how much you’ve grown since I first met you. You faced down both the hunters without fear. I was proud of you.”

“The barrier between us might have helped a little.” Still, tenderness swelled as she thought of all she’d learned about herself since encountering Lor. It felt like they’d lived a lifetime in a few short weeks. Of course most humans didn’t have the advantage of looking into their partner’s soul and feeling everything they felt each time they made love. Apparently Blayne was
right,
she had a serious thing for Mystics.
Or one particular Mystic at least.

She intended to enjoy this lull while it lasted, savor every moment she and Lor could steal.

As if to mock her determination, her cell phone rang and her heart skipped a beat. If she knew for a fact that Angie was all right everything would be perfect. She would be free to build a future with Lor without any reservations. She closed her eyes as she pulled the phone out of her pocket. It rang again and she made herself look.

Jillian.
She sighed and activated the call.
“Hey, you.
What’s going on?” She worked hard to keep disappointment from bleeding through in her tone.

“Want to catch a movie tonight? I haven’t seen you in weeks. Are you avoiding me?”

“I’m not avoiding you. I’ve just been busy and tonight won’t work for me. Give me a couple of days to tie up loose ends and I promise we’ll do something together.”

“Do you have a new contract already? I thought you were going to take some time off.”

It was almost inevitable that Jillian and Lor cross paths. Tori seldom left his side. She knew she couldn’t tell Jillian the truth about his origins or his mission on Earth, but she didn’t have to pretend he didn’t exist. “Will you forgive me for neglecting you if I tell you I hooked up with the gorgeous blond we saw in—” Jillian’s happy cry cut her off.

“It’s about freaking time! I’d about given up on you ever trying again.” She paused. Tori could picture her suspicious expression as she asked, “You’re not just saying this so I won’t be pissed, are you?”

“His name is Lor and he’s amazing. I can’t wait for you to meet him.”

Lor held out his hand expectantly.

“In fact, he wants to talk to you.” She handed him the phone.

“Hello, Jillian,” he said into the phone. “I apologize for monopolizing Tori’s time. I will try to be more considerate in the future.”

She couldn’t hear what Jillian said, but it made Lor chuckle. Then he held out the phone and made a face. “It’s making an odd noise.”

Tori looked at the screen and tried not to panic. “Jill, Utah State Police are ringing through, I need to get this.”

“Call me back whenever. Love you. Bye!”

Jillian hung up and Tori accepted the other call. “This is Victoria Logan. May I help you?”

“Tori, oh thank God! I was so afraid I’d get your voice mail.”

It was Angie. Tori was thrilled to hear her voice, yet loath to ask the next question. “Why are you in a police station?”

“Jordan abandoned me.”

“Is Jordan the bouncer?”

“Yeah, but he turned out to be a world-class asshole.” She sounded weepy, which sent a chill down Tori’s spine. Angie stumbled through life with a wink and a smile her only defenses. If anything she was too nonchalant about most things.
Definitely not weepy.

“Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No. He just took off in the middle of the night without paying the bill. I didn’t have any cash and all my credit cards are maxed, so the bitch that runs the motel called the cops. So here I am in the middle of nowhere, no ride, no money and a three-hundred-dollar bill hanging over my head.”

“Give me the address and I’ll come get you.”

“But what about Naz?
Is it safe to come back to Las Vegas?”

“Leaving you out there on your own isn’t an option. I’ll have to make other arrangements. Now tell me exactly where you are.”

“Okay. Don’t get all bitchy. I was just trying to do what you told me to.”

“I’m sorry. Please give me the address.”

Angie must have handed the phone to someone near her because a well-modulated male voice rattled off the address. It took two tries, but Tori finally created a memo in her phone with Angie’s location. “Does she have somewhere safe to spend the night? I’m not sure how fast I can get there.”

“I can lock her in one of the cells,” he offered cheerfully.

“That’s not funny.”

Apparently he disagreed. After a rumbling chuckle, he said, “I’ll find somewhere safe to stash her until you come pick her up.”

“Thank you, Officer?” She paused, expecting him to fill in the blank.

Rather than oblige, the cop just hung up. Tori shook her head, feeling a little sorry for the man. Angie had that effect on a lot of people.

“Well, now we know why the bouncer didn’t pick up for me. The jerk could have told me they’d split up.” She blew out a ragged sigh. “
Wanna
go for a ride?”

“I can’t leave right now and you’re not going alone. I’ll send one of my men to go get her.”

Tori didn’t like the idea, but all she said was, “I hope my sister has better sense than going anywhere with a stranger.”

“So record a short message for her on her phone so she’ll know you sent him.”

Tori sighed, not relishing the idea of a road trip with Angie. Yet her baby sister needed rescuing. What choice did she have?

“You need to stay here,” Lor stressed. “Nazerel will be looking for a way to strike back at us. It will be less obvious if one of my men goes. It will be safer for both of you.”

“Which one deserves that sort of trouble?” She sighed, feeling like she’d just been freed from a corset. Worrying about Angie had hung over Tori like a thundercloud, oppressive and inescapable. “I am so glad she’s only in her usual sort of trouble.”

A slow, calculative smile parted Lor’s lips. “I think I’ll send Blayne. Odintar would lock her in the trunk.”

“Does it have to be one of the Mystics?” Often Lor acted like there were only three members on his team. It was easy to understand how people with his sort of power would dismiss those without, but it still bothered her.

“Who would you pick?”

“Blayne is probably the best choice, but you seem to go to the Mystics first for almost everything.”

“Do I?”

“Yes, you do.”

He paused and she could sense his introspection. “I was unaware. I’ll work on it.”

“Good.” She took his hand and smiled. “Why don’t you see if Blayne—”

The Mystic flashed into the room, mischief shimmering in his silver-blue eyes.
“Threesome?”

She slapped at him. “You are impossible.”

“No, a threesome is impossible,” Lor insisted.

“I have personal experience that says otherwise.”

Tori couldn’t help but chuckle. Blayne loved to embarrass her and the brighter she blushed the more outrageous he became. “Can you drive?”

“I’ve never heard it called that before, but I prefer it when I’m—”

“A car,” she cut in. “Human automobile?”

“Yes. I can, but why do you ask?”

“We need you to run a very important errand,” Lor told him.

“Does it involve naked females?”

“It better not,” Tori stressed. “I need you to go pick up my sister.”

“You’ve located Angie?” All playfulness fell away and he smiled. “That’s wonderful.”

Tori grimaced. “You might not think so after you’ve spent a few hours in a car with her. Angie can be…difficult.”

“I welcome the challenge.”

“I hope you still feel that way when you get back.” She reached over and squeezed his upper arm. “You can take my car. Hopefully that will make Angie a little less suspicious. Also, I’ll give you her phone after I record a quick message so she’ll know I sent you.”

“You must be as tired as we are,” Lor said. “Let me pass some energy to you.”

“I’d rather take it from Tori.” Blayne’s smile was suddenly devilish again.

“She’s not offering.”

“Then fine. But keep your lips to yourself.”

Lor took Blayne’s face between his hands and a subtle, shimmery glow flowed from Lor into Blayne.

Tearing her gaze away from the energy transfer, Tori pulled Angie’s phone out of her pocket. She activated the camera and made sure it was in video mode.
“Hey, sis.
Sorry I couldn’t come get you, but I sent this hunk instead. Somehow I don’t think you’ll mind. He’s got a mouth on him, so don’t get him started or he’ll twist every word you say. I’ll see you tomorrow. Behave yourself!” She blew a kiss to the camera then ended the video clip. Then she entered the address of the police station into the GPS app and switched the phone into navigator mode.

Lor had finished by the time she handed the phone to Blayne. “When’s the last time you were behind the wheel of a car?”

“It’s been a while, but I have no doubt I remember how everything works. Does your car have a clutch? I love shifting gears.”

Apparently the fixation with shifting was universally male. She shook her head. “Sorry. No clutch, but it’s got an awesome stereo.” She went to the dining room and dug her keys out of her purse, which was still on the table where she’d dropped it two days before. She had a bad habit of leaving her purse behind when Lor teleported her places. Maybe she needed to reassess her accessory choices.

She took Blayne to the garage and gave him a quick quiz before she handed him her keys. “Be careful and stay under the speed limit. You cannot afford to be pulled over by the police.”

“Yes, mommy.
I’ll be a good boy.” He opened the door and slipped in behind the wheel. “Shit, woman, do you even have legs.” He reached down and found the latch that released the seat.
“Much better.”

She reached in and triggered the garage door from the opener on the visor. “According to your GPS it should take about five hours to get where you’re going.”

“Are you always this clingy? Shoo, female. Give a man some room.” He motioned her back and slammed the door then fired up the engine. “I’ll see you when I get back. Stop worrying.” He waved at Lor, who loitered in the doorway then backed the car out of the garage.

“I think I should have gone myself,” Tori lamented as all the possible calamities scrolled through her mind.

“Get in here.” Lor moved down a step then dragged her toward the house.

She paused long enough to close the garage door then followed him back into the kitchen.

“You will not worry any more until your sister returns. That’s an order.” He rested his hands on her hips and kissed the tip of her nose.

“I don’t respond well to orders.”

“Depends what you’re being ordered to do.” He leaned down with a sexy chuckle and nipped the side of her neck.

Knowing how easily he could convince her to surrender control, she tried to be assertive. “I’m going to take a bath. You’re welcome to soak with me or you can sit on the floor and rub my feet.”

He laughed. “Those are the only two choices?”

“The only two I’ll allow.”

“When you get mouthy like that it makes me what to kiss you into submission.” He swept her up in his arms and looked at the bedroom, the bathroom, then the bedroom again.

“And what’s stopping you?”

“Nothing,” he whispered.
“Nothing at all.”
His mouth captured hers in a consuming kiss then he made a beeline for the bedroom door.