OnsetofDanger (22 page)

“What are you talking about?” Edrick pulled on Alexi’s wrist
with both hands but the prince held firm.

“How did you find out about Tara’s accident?”

“I called… I mean, one of my contacts called and reported—”

“You were right the first time.” Alexi sneered into his
uncle’s face. “You called your contact because no one was at the lab. What was
supposed to happen, Edrick? Was I supposed to be captured or killed?”

Edrick just glared in mutinous silence, his fingernails
digging into Alexi’s wrist.

Two of Edrick’s guards rushed into the library, apparently
responding to a telepathic signal. They looked at Edrick and then Alexi,
clearly torn by their loyalties.

“Take Edrick to his suite and ensure that he stays there,”
Alexi directed.

After a long pause, one of the guards took Edrick’s arm and
the other followed suit.

“Wait.” Alexi dug through Edrick’s pockets and retrieved two
cell phones. “Also remove the phones and computers from his rooms.”

“Yes, sire,” one of the guards responded as they led Edrick
out of the library.

Another tense pause followed and then Bronik said, “You have
no real evidence against him and you can’t act until you do. Everyone will
think it’s a power grab.”

“I know. I’ll have his phone records searched as well as his
computer. There has to be something that will prove my suspicions.” He rubbed
his eyes and sighed. “If all else fails, I’ll have one of the elders scan his
memory.”

“Just be careful. This can’t look like a coup or you’ll lose
the loyalty of the people.”

Alexi nodded then looked at Eloise. “I’m sorry for your
loss. That was a horrendous way to learn of the tragedy.”

He seemed sincere but she couldn’t help asking, “Why would
you consider it a tragedy?”

“I don’t, but she was your mother. Edrick should have been
more tactful.”

She couldn’t quite manage to smile. The news was unexpected
and confusing but she felt no overwhelming grief. She had basically been
mourning the loss of her family since her kidnapping made it impossible for her
to return to Vladya strain.

Rather than dwell on her conflicted emotions, she decided to
share her suspicions. “I don’t think Garrett attacked Tara. I’m not saying he
isn’t capable of stabbing her in the back. Still, he wasn’t in Vancouver when I
melded with him. At least he wasn’t at the château. I think it was the Levari
shapeshifter.”

“But what does Desmond gain by disrupting Vladya strain?”
Alexi didn’t disregard her suggestion but he seemed far from convinced.

“If the Levari are still around, it’s possible Desmond isn’t
the only shapeshifter,” Bronik pointed out. “The ability is relatively common
on Strigoia Prime.”

“All the mysteries surrounding Levari strain will have to
wait. We need to focus on the Rom captives. Were you able to learn anything
while I was gone?” Alexi asked Bronik.

“Nothing yet. We’re still looking.”

Alexi nodded and shot Eloise one last compassionate glance.
“I’ll leave you to it then. I have a traitor to expose.”

* * * * *

Caresse exited the messy bedroom and left the door cracked
so she could hear Desmond the instant he stirred.

“Is he going to be okay? He didn’t look so good.”

Hoping to soothe the anxiety so apparent in the human’s
eyes, Caresse smiled. “He’ll be fine. He just needs quiet and darkness while he
rests.”

“Migraine?”

She was unfamiliar with the word, so she made a noncommittal
sound and motioned toward the computer in front of the human. “Have you found
the answer to my question?”

“Still digging. Give me a few.”

Caresse wasn’t sure why this particular human was so hard to
understand, but each time she’d asked for a clarification she’d ended up more
confused.

Desmond had chosen this location because the apartment’s
usual occupant lived alone. However, Desmond had lost control of the
teleportation and ended up in the hallway rather than inside the compact
dwelling. Before he could flash them inside, he’d clutched his head and begun
moaning. He managed to manipulate the lock so Caresse could open the door, but
a “helpful” neighbor arrived as Caresse was dragging Desmond inside.

The neighbor’s name was Lisa. After assisting Caresse with
Desmond, the human made it obvious she was in no hurry to leave. She was
talkative and full of advice, most of which Caresse only partially understood.

“How do you know Matt?” Lisa asked without turning from the
computer.

She likely meant the apartment’s occupant. “Matt and Desmond
are cousins. We just arrived from overseas.”

“Overseas? Cool. Which country?”

“We’ve lived many places, but we are not overly familiar
with this country. I know we are in Montana, but where is that in relation to
Colorado?”

Lisa moved the small device cupped beneath her hand and the
image on the display became a map. She then entered a command with the keypad
and the image changed again.

“We’re right here. Kalispell, Montana.” Lisa pointed to a
dot in the upper-left section of the screen. “Colorado is down here.” She slid
her index finger along the line, connecting the two dots. The second location
was down and to the right, or east, of their present location. “So what’s your
interest in Colorado prisons?”

“We’re doing a cost analysis of converting the property for
other uses.”

“You’ve been hired to do a cost analysis but you don’t know
where the property is located?”

Caresse didn’t have time to indulge a curious human. She
caught Lisa’s gaze and sent a compulsion deep into her mind. “You will ask no
more questions. Instead, you will immediately comply with whatever I ask you to
do. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” Lisa replied in an emotionless monotone.

“Good, now continue searching for an unoccupied prison in
Colorado.”

The human turned back to the computer and obeyed. Caresse
blew out a shaky breath and went in to check on Desmond. He lay on his back,
arms at his side, unmoving and silent. Had siphoning off Tara’s mind overloaded
Desmond or was this a reaction to his blood binge?

She didn’t really care about the cause as long as he
recovered. She pressed her hand against his forehead and cringed. His skin was
clammy, his face pale. She’d let him sleep for a few hours, but if he wasn’t
restored by tomorrow night she would have to find a healer. Continuing on
without him was not an option.

“I think I have something.” Excitement thrummed through
Eloise as she motioned toward the laptop. She’d read countless articles about
the prison system in Colorado, determined to prove that her information was
accurate. Bronik had insisted she take a break and eat a sandwich about an hour
ago, but she hadn’t left the library all night. “I didn’t see it at first
because it’s not a recent transaction.”

Bronik returned to his chair beside her and sat. Alexi moved
to her other side so he could see the screen as well.

“Seven years ago a private company built a prison in
Hulston, Colorado. The facility was only occupied for two years when the
company went out of business.”

“What became of the prison?” Bronik asked.

“It was sold to a
Canadian
investor,” Eloise
explained with a smile.

“That can’t be a coincidence.” Alexi stroked his bottom lip,
apparently lost in thought.

“You’re in the middle of this thing with Edrick. Eloise and
I will go check it out,” Bronik volunteered.

“All right. But recon only. No one makes a move tonight.”

“Understood.”

Thrilled to finally have made some progress, Eloise pushed
back her chair and stood. She stretched and rubbed the back of her neck then
wiggled her toes and smiled. “I need some shoes, or better yet a pair of
boots.”

“We’ll stop on the way,” Bronik promised then held out his
hand.

He flashed them to a shoe store and Eloise found a pair of boots
both sturdy and stylish. Bronik left a wad of bills by the register with the
empty box. “Do you always pay for what you take?” She was pleasantly surprised
by his integrity.

“Humans have to make a living. It’s not their fault we can
teleport.” He shrugged and pulled her back into his arms. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

“I can’t be specific with a location I’ve never been to
before. I’ll slow things down toward the end so I can choose the best place to
materialize.”

His arms tightened around her and they left the physical
world behind. It didn’t matter how many times he teleported with her, the
sensations were still overwhelming. Unlike dissolving into mist, physical
sensations not only remained but they were heightened to the point of pain. She
felt as if the flesh were going to be stripped from her bones by the momentum
and the roaring wind made her ears burn.

The forceful rushing gradually slowed. Blinding streaks of
light became distinct shapes against the darkness. They spun in a slow circle
and then materialized in a field. Eloise blinked and panted, trying to regain
her equilibrium.

Bronik sank to his knees, drawing her down with him.
There’s
no cover. We have to stay down.

She nodded, still too rattled to speak.

Razor wire fences surrounded the two-story complex. The
perimeter lights weren’t on. Even the exterior windows were dark, making the
prison appear abandoned. Bronik nodded toward the parking lot in the distance.
Eleven cars were clustered toward the front of the lot.

Take my hand. I’ll get us closer to the building.

The guard towers didn’t appear to be staffed, so she placed
her hand in his.

Teleportation was instantaneous this time. They
rematerialized in the corner of an enclosed exercise yard. Staying low, they
crept toward the building.

Do you sense anyone?
She matched him step for step
until their backs were pressed against the wall.

There are definitely people in there but that’s about all
I can sense.

Mist?

He nodded.
But stay close. I’ll shield us both.

Eloise slowly dispersed her physical body and became a tiny
wisp of mist. Bronik disappeared entirely, though their link allowed her to
sense his location. They sank through the wall and drifted up toward the
ceiling. She spread herself as thin as possible, not wanting to be mistaken for
smoke.

The ground floor was deserted, as was the second story. They
passed rows and rows of empty cells, an unused cafeteria and vacant offices. It
was all rather creepy. Then they used the elevator shaft to descend below
ground and finally found signs of life.

Light glowed down a narrow corridor, drawing them onward.
The complex was still remarkably quiet, almost eerily still.

They came to a lab first. The long, narrow room was lined
with cabinets and five scientists surrounded the main workspace in the center
of the room. If the shadowed eyes and hunched shoulders were any indication,
the scientists were sleep-deprived and overworked.

“Is he still in with Maggie?” one of the three men grumbled,
clearly upset by the possibility.

“It doesn’t matter,” one of the two females snapped. “You
know better than allowing yourself to become attached to any of the test
subjects.”

Eloise had seen enough of this environment. She drifted back
into the corridor and felt Bronik follow her. They found a control room, from
which the guards could view any of the cells. And then they located the actual
cells. Each woman was enclosed in an identical space.

Fighting back anger and pity, Eloise focused on logistics. A
team of eight could easily overtake the guards and free the captives. Bronik
said nothing but she could feel his temper smoldering right along with hers. As
she feared, Jackson was in one of the cells, locked in a passionate embrace
with one of the captives. It was all she could do not to yank them apart and
pummel Jackson’s smug face.

Soon.
The warning in Bronik’s thought was
unmistakable.

As they exited the prison Bronik surrounded her, sweeping
her from mist to incorporeal rush without warning. For a moment she panicked,
feeling lost and out of control. Then his energy flowed through hers, vibrant
and familiar, and she surrendered to the dizzying sensations.

They materialized in the library and Eloise stumbled
forward. Bronik caught her around the waist and pulled her back against his
body. She shivered then relaxed against him and covered his arm with hers.

“That was fast.” Alexi looked exhausted.

“This can’t wait until tomorrow.” Bronik quickly explained
what they’d found. “With a relatively small team we can be in and out before
they have time to summon reinforcements.”

“Were they aware of either of you?” Alexi asked.

Bronik shook his head. “I was able to shield us.”

“Then it would be wiser to wait until tomorrow. It’s less
than three hours until dawn.”

“I disagree.” Bronik squared his shoulders and moved to
Eloise’s side. “Those women have been victimized long enough. We can’t leave
them—”

“I used Edrick’s phone records to identify his human
accomplice. My six strongest hunters are out searching for her. If they haven’t
found her by dawn, they have instructions to return. We can strike first thing
tomorrow. That will also give me time to contact Inatta.”

“She is way too emotional to be directly involved in this,”
Bronik objected.

Alexi glared at him. “Give me some credit, please. As we
evacuate the captives, it makes the most sense to flash them home. Inatta will
need to have healers and a support staff ready. It will be no simple task to
oversee that many traumatized females.”

“Traumatized males would be easier to oversee?” Eloise
raised her chin and narrowed her eyes.

Alexi held up his hands and laughed. “You two are both
spoiling for a fight. Go upstairs and work off some of this aggression and I’ll
see you tomorrow night.”

Bronik’s frustration continued to simmer but he nodded.
“Until tomorrow night.”

Eloise followed Bronik up the stairs, feeling restless and
irritable. Alexi was right. She was spoiling for a fight. “How am I supposed to
sleep knowing what those women are going through?”

“They’ve been prisoners for five months. They can last one
more night.” Bronik opened his bedroom door and motioned her inside. “We’ll
only have the element of surprise on our side once. We have to do it right the
first time.”

“That doesn’t make this any easier,” she grumbled. “I can’t
help feeling responsible. I should have dug deeper, asked more questions. I
don’t know, just done
more
.”

He kicked the door shut with his foot and placed his hands
on her shoulders. His gaze glimmered in the moonlight and the angles of his
face seemed almost sinister. “You are not Tara or Garrett. None of this is your
fault.”

She shook her head and lowered her gaze as regret churned
within her. “I was selfish and shortsighted. I was so caught up in establishing
my reputation that I didn’t think about anyone else.” The back of her throat
burned and tears blurred her vision. “I can’t believe how much time and energy
I wasted trying to please Tara.”

“That was the past. Tara no longer controls you.”

“I won’t rest until they’re free.”

Bronik ran his index finger along her jaw, drawing her
attention back to his face. “You need to rest so you can help free them. You’ll
be no good to anyone if you’re sleep-deprived and vengeful.”

“I can probably avoid sleep deprivation, but I doubt I’ll
conquer my need for vengeance before tomorrow night.”

“You’re a seasoned warrior. I don’t doubt your skill, but
what the captives need is someone they can trust.”

“And you think they’ll trust Tara’s daughter?”

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. “You can’t have it both
ways, baby doll. Either you’re your own person or you’re not. If you don’t like
the course Tara chose for your life, then change direction and dedicate
yourself to your new goals.”

“You’re right. Besides, it sounds as if Tara is not going to
hurt anyone anymore.”

“So all we need to do is make sure you sleep soundly.” He
smiled and desire’s heat erupted in the depths of his eyes.

She returned his smile then moved closer to his warm body.
“Do you have any ideas for helping me sleep?”

“Oh I have lots of ideas.” He swept her into his arms and
carried her to the bed. “Top or bottom?”

It wasn’t often that he gave her the choice, so she
whispered, “Top.” He placed her on the bed and tugged off her new boots. She
pulled off her socks and tossed them onto the floor. By the time she’d
unbuttoned her shirt and unzipped her jeans, he was already naked. “In a
hurry?”

“Always.” He grabbed the bottom of her jeans and pulled them
off as she wiggled and laughed. Her shirt and undergarments soon followed then
he joined her on the bed.

They lay on their sides, arms and legs entwined. Their
mouths locked and their tongues danced, stroking and swirling as they shared
each other’s breath. For long, drugged moments they just kissed and pressed,
absorbing the closeness and security of being together.

Suddenly he rolled to his back, taking her with him. She straddled
his hips and rubbed her mound against his jutting cock. He groaned into her
mouth and she began a slow rocking that intensified the heat and hunger. He
latched on to one of her breasts as she caressed his length with her wet folds.
His hands steadied her but she controlled the motion.

Desire electrified their link, making everything feel more
intense, more complex. She shared her emotions freely and absorbed his
responses with eager curiosity. He always seemed so hard, so focused, and yet
his nature was incredibly passionate.

He sucked on one nipple and then the other. She arched,
pushing herself deeper into his mouth. He caught her nipple between his teeth
and flicked his tongue against the very tip. She pulled against the firm
restriction of his teeth, savoring the sting before his swirling tongue soothed
her tender flesh. She felt wild and wicked and hungry, eager for his fullness
deep inside her.

“Come here.” He pulled on her hips, eyes narrowed and
bright. “I want your taste in my mouth while I fuck you.”

She bit her bottom lip then smiled. “I have a better idea.”
She reversed her position, settling her knees on either side of his head as she
arched over his body. He grasped her thighs and dragged her pussy down to his
waiting mouth as she closed her lips around the head of his cock.

Her gums burned as her hunger escalated but she suppressed
the transformation, unwilling to risk injuring him. He lifted his hips toward
her, pushing his length deeper into her mouth. She took him gladly, thrilled by
his smooth hardness sliding against her lips and over her tongue.

He pushed her thighs apart, lowering her sex until her folds
were flush with his lips. Then he drove his tongue deep into her core. She
closed her eyes and concentrated on the gentle penetration. This felt wonderful
but it only whetted her appetite for the thick stroke of his shaft.

I can’t wait
, he cried.

Scalding need rushed into her mind along with the thought
and her body echoed the longing. He lifted her off his face as he scrambled to his
knees. She moved to the center of the bed and arranged herself on her forearms
and knees. Lowering her shoulders, she spread her thighs, offering her body
without reservation. The more aggressive he became the more liberated she felt.
She couldn’t explain why she craved his dominance but she no longer resisted
the urges.

He knelt behind her, his hand grasping the back of her neck
as he drove his full length into her wet pussy. His throaty growl sent tingles
down her spine and her inner muscles contracted around him.

“Gods you feel good.” His voice was harsh but his emotions
caressed her soul.

She smiled into the bedding, thrilled by the possessive
tenderness flowing into her mind. He pulled back slowly, pausing with just the
tip of his cock inside her before he thrust deep again. She knew the rhythm,
understood when to offer resistance and when to relax. His hands moved freely
over her body, stroking her arms and sides, her hips and breasts.