Tangled Redemption (11 page)

Jayden climbed out of bed too. “I knew someone had been in
the room.” He shrugged. “Which meant there was a good chance they were watching.”

She threw her hands up in the air. “And you were all right
with that? To have someone watch us while we’re having sex? While we share our
bodies for the very first time?” She wanted to drag the last few words back. It
had been great sex, but that was it. There was no emotional connection with
either of the men. She couldn’t allow herself to grow attached.

It would kill her.

His smile softened and he walked up to her. There was not
the slightest bit of give in him. He was all rock-hard muscle. But despite that
he moved with a lightness that always surprised her. It was even more obvious
now that he was naked. She’d been so caught up in watching him she didn’t think
to evade his touch. He pulled her against him.

“I’m sorry, love. We’re on the knife’s edge. At any moment
Nasir could decide to change something around. I thought letting him watch
would be the lesser of two evils.”

Sydney deflated. Put that way it made sense. She’d just
barely coped with someone listening in on them. It killed her to know their
first coming together all the way had been watched. In her mind it had been
something special, something private and just her own.

But of course that was unbelievably stupid. She was a
prisoner, not a beloved partner in a committed relationship. Jade, even her
lifemate had been so disappointed by his fate he ran out of the room as quickly
as possible.

Looks like there is something wrong with you.
She’d
hooked up with one sociopathic bastard who nearly killed her and now she’d
fallen for another monster. Only he didn’t feel like a monster. There was
something about him and Jayden that made her feel safe and cherished.

But Miguel obviously had issues with her being his other
half.

Her heart ached and her body had been through the ringer. “I
need a bath.”

Jayden lifted her chin and studied her for a moment. She
gave him a weak smile and a brief kiss before he could see the confusion and
agony raging through her. For once she wasn’t sure if she could hide her
emotions.

She moved out of his arms.

“I have the water running.” He strode to the closet in the
corner.

“Here you go.” He stood before her holding a large shirt.
“I’ll change the sheets and you can get some rest.”

She slipped the fabric over her head. He smiled, but his
eyes held a haggard look. She suddenly understood why. Sydney wrapped both arms
around his neck and kissed him with everything inside her. He froze for a second,
but then returned the kiss in kind. Their tongues tangled, retreating and
advancing, connecting her to him. His heat and strength surrounded her, pulled
her close, held her.

They separated, breathing hard. “No matter what random thing
is supposed to be between Miguel and myself I want
you
. Do you
understand? I cannot imagine being without you.”

Jayden stared into the eyes that had captivated his soul. In
the middle of a mission. In the middle of a mission he would most likely not
survive. And the eyes belonged to a woman who was the lifemate to another
Vampire.

Right now his life was pretty much fucked.

It hurt like hell to once again be on the outside looking
in. He didn’t know what he had done in a previous life to deserve this kind of
punishment, because in this life he had worked hard to be the best man he could
be.

He wanted to tell her who he was, wanted to assure her that
he was one of the good guys and that no matter how he behaved, she could trust
him. But the risk was too high. He’d been impressed by her ability to hide her
emotions, but he didn’t know if she would be able to hide her knowledge.

Jayden hated it, but he would have to continue lying to her.

He had heard what she said, but right now he needed more. He
kissed her, stroking his tongue against hers, exploring the wet haven of her
mouth and remembering what it had felt like to have her suck his cock.

His dick, always half-hard around her, rose to attention and
for once Jayden didn’t give a fuck and took what he needed. He held the back of
her head with one hand, not willing to release her mouth until he had taken his
fill. He stroked over her rib cage and to her breast. She moaned when he rubbed
his thumb across the sensitive peak.

He tore off the shirt and tweaked both her nipples. She rose
to her toes, his thick member pressed along the silky skin of her stomach.
Jayden caressed her hip and her gorgeous ass before cupping her pussy.

She was wet. He knew she had to be sore, but he couldn’t
stop himself. “I’m sorry, love,” he whispered against her neck as he lifted and
wrapped her legs around his waist.

“Nothing to be sorry for. I want you.”

Her words obliterated what little control he had left.

He thrust inside her, deep, hard, powerful.

She tightened her legs around his waist and clung to his
shoulders.

Jayden continued his deep, long strokes. Her cunt clasped
him like a glove. Her walls massaged him, stroked him and with every plunge his
balls drew up tighter.

He bit her neck. She growled and fisted his hair. Sydney bit
his lower lip. Whatever consideration had still been in him evaporated.

He fucked her with everything inside him.

His strength. His power. His skills. They all belonged to
her. Together with his life and his soul.

She tightened her legs around his waist even more and pulled
his head back. He met her blazing eyes. Neither of them looked away.

He was screwed any which way he turned, so he saw no reason
to protect himself. It tore through him that she didn’t protect herself either.
Her need and passion were right there for him to see. Her need for him.

He parted her ass cheeks with his hands and rubbed a finger
over the dark rosette. At the same time he shortened his strokes and sped up.

Within seconds she dug her nails deep enough to draw blood
and screamed. Her pussy pulsed around him and catapulted him into the abyss. He
growled and set his teeth on her neck. At the last minute he managed to push
back his fangs and bit down only with his teeth as he pumped into her.

He had to rest one hand against the wall behind them, no
longer able to stand up straight. Sydney shivered and shuddered in his arms,
her body completely limp.

“I hope you still have enough control over your body to get
me to the bathroom. I want that bath pretty damn bad right now.”

Jayden chuckled. “Give me about a year and we may be in
business.”

She nuzzled his cheek. “I need it before then. Giddy up,
cowboy.”

He smiled. Lightness and happiness filled him. Right now in
this moment he was happy. There would be plenty to screw him over later, but
right now he was exactly where he wanted to be. In Sydney’s arms.

He forced strength into his limbs and stumbled into the
bathroom. With every step she squeezed around him.

“Forget it, lover boy. I am done.”

His smile stayed where it was. “Nothing much I can do about
that part of my body. Just ignore him.”

She chuckled.

He stopped and forced himself to pull out otherwise he
wasn’t sure if he could have stopped. His stamina covered all parts of his
life. He had to be in tip-top shape for his missions. It didn’t hurt that it
helped him go for hours. Add to that his emotional investment and he expected to
walk around hard most of the time.

None of that mattered. Right now he wanted to take care of
Sydney. He shifted her in his arms, one around her back and one under her
knees, and stumbled on. The bathroom was filled with heat and steam. She
moaned.

He stood beside the tub and tested the temperature. Just
right. He gently settled her into the water. “I’ll get you something to drink
and your cake.”

“Hm, thank you.” She closed her eyes and leaned back.

Jayden turned on the jets. She groaned. “Perfect.”

He smiled as he strode out of the room and for the first
time in a very long time those smiles were genuine. He brought her water and
grabbed the slice of cake out of the hoverbox that had arrived before them.
Watching her eat that cake was too much. Back in the bedroom he lifted his bag
to pull out a fresh uniform.

He froze when he saw the syringe in the side pocket.

He had forgotten about his bargain with Nasir.

Jayden stared at the half-open door to the bathroom. Yes, he
had to betray her trust, but it was the only way he could see to protect her.
He tucked it deeper into the side pocket and instructed the bed to change the
sheets. Then he strode back to take a shower himself. He cleaned up quickly as
he sensed that Sydney was half asleep already.

With gentle hands he lifted her out of the tub and dried her
off. She muttered against his chest. He couldn’t make out what she said but
lifted her into his arms and settled her between the clean sheets. She was out
like a light.

He sat on the side of the bed and watched her sleep.

A glance at the clock told him he was running out of time.
He grabbed the syringe and withdrew the necessary amount of blood. With quick
hands he tidied everything away and smeared a drop of all-heal over the needle
mark. As he watched it disappeared, leaving her skin unblemished and flawless
again.

Jayden held the small cartouche in his hand and watched her
some more. He had to drag himself away from her with ruthless force.

Time to pay the piper.

On his way to Nasir’s office Miguel pulled everything inside
and put it into a deep and dark corner of his mind. He could not allow himself
to show any emotion or present the slightest weakness to Nasir. He took the
long way around and with every step the ice that he carried at the center of
his soul spread across his body until every part of him was covered by it.

The other Vampires took one look at him and got out of his
way as quickly as possible. The hallways emptied as if a comp note had gone
out.

It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but moving forward with
his plan.

He reached Nasir’s office and stepped inside after one brief
knock. Nasir sat behind his desk, three comps running before him and dictating
instructions into a fourth. He looked up once when Miguel entered, but
continued what he was doing.

Miguel didn’t care. He was used to Nasir’s little power
games. He stood before the desk at parade rest and crossed his arms behind his
back. He could stand here like this for hours without having to move.

If he’d still been linked to his emotions Nasir’s
instructions would have been horrifying. But he’d shut that part of himself
down and nothing could get through the wall of ice. It appeared they were about
to attack a small moon with full force. Usually they only picked victims from
the edges, outlying estates, parties separated from the main group, as well as
the fringe people like vagrants, seasonal workers and people living close to
the edge.

But this time they were to take every single inhabitant of
the small town.

He frowned and worked on the strategies as well as supplies
necessary to pull this off.

Nasir stopped speaking and began to scroll through reams and
reams of data. Finally he set the comp down, leaned back in his chair and
looked at him. “Miguel.”

“Nasir.”

“What brings you to my office at this time of night? I would
have thought you were busy with your new toy.”

Miguel stepped forward and dumped the surveillance devices
he’d collected from his room on the desk. “Do not put my personal quarters
under surveillance again.”

“No?” Nasir tapped a fingertip against the desktop.

Miguel only looked at him. “No. For the last five years I
have been loyal to you and your plan. I have given you everything you need to
continue this endeavor. I am, however, not prepared to give you my privacy.”

“Why not?”

“Because it is none of your business what I do. Either you
trust me and leave me alone or you don’t and you kill me.”

Nasir studied him, his expression thoughtful. “You have a
point. I do trust you.” The tapping increased. “Did you know that Jayden has
accused you of being responsible for the attempts on my life?”

Miguel didn’t respond.

Nasir nodded. “Yes, that was my reaction. He told me that
allowing you to be in this…triad of yours would give him opportunity to keep an
eye on you. I found that rather funny. Don’t you find that funny?”

Miguel remained unmoved.

Silence stretched between the two of them. In the end Nasir
leaned forward and rested his elbows on the desk. “I need him. Otherwise I’d
give you permission to kill him. Do you want me to remove him from your little
sex party?”

Miguel considered the implications. Sydney was his lifemate,
but he was unable to claim her. She was a prisoner and dependent on Nasir’s
good mood for her survival. Jayden would give her a sliver of a chance, but
only if he remained close. He could, however, not be allowed to attempt to
cause friction between Nasir and himself. He met the other Vampire’s lifeless
blue eyes. “I will take care of it.”

Satisfaction crossed Nasir’s expression. “Excellent. Just
ensure he’s able to walk and fight the day after tomorrow. I have quite the
excursion planned.”

Miguel nodded. “I heard some of the details. Give me
everything you have so far. It is an ambitious plan.”

Nasir smiled and rubbed his hands. “It is indeed, but we can
do it. I’ve found this neat little scientist, a human, would you believe it?
Anyway, he’s created a nerve gas that removes free will. Of course he didn’t
want to share the details, but once I had a word with his family he quickly reconsidered.”

“What is the delivery mechanism and how do we disperse it?”

“That is the beauty of it. We will fire missiles that
detonate in low altitude. The gas is heavier than air, meaning it sinks. Baikal
has a funny geography. Their main town Kajaani is surrounded by rock on three
sides, which will facilitate our attack and keep the gas contained in the area
we want it.”

Miguel stilled. “Kajaani?”

Nasir looked at him. “Yes. Is that an issue? It’s just
another one of those human towns, living off the land and their precious trade.
Do you have an emotional connection to this town?”

Miguel had no idea how Nasir had found out, but he had no
doubt that Kajaani had become a target due to his connection to the town.
Margaret’s descendants still lived there. “It was a fling centuries ago.”

“Good. Now, once we’ve launched the gas the humans will behave
like the cattle they are. We’ll gather the ones we can sell and the rest the
troops can enjoy as a reward.”

Miguel pressed his lips together. “Send me the gas composition
and other details.”

Nasir studied him, his brows raised.

“I won’t take a new weapon into the field for the first time
without knowing how it works.” He allowed a hint of impatience to seep into his
words. “We’ve worked too long and too hard to get to where we are right now.”
He held Nasir’s gaze without hesitation.

Finally the other Vampire nodded and advised his comp to
transfer the data.

Then they went over the details. Miguel remained numb. He
raised a number of concerns about their entry and gave suggestions on how they
could avoid losses. The whole time something roared in agony at his center,
roared loud enough it came close to cracking the ice.

He could not allow Nasir to go through with this plan. He
had done some quick calculations and it would mean the certain death of nearly
two thousand humans and dragging close to eighteen hundred people into a life
of horror they could have never imagined.

That gave him just a day and a half to try to kill Nasir.

Over the last thirteen months he had tried to eliminate
Nasir half a dozen times. Not a single attempt had even come close to success.
He appeared immortal.

Miguel had tried poisoning Nasir’s food supply. The death of
the humans would be on his conscience for the rest of his life.

He’d tried sabotaging his vehicles or shuttles, but it was
as if Nasir had a sixth sense and changed his plans at the last minute.

He tried assassination attempts and had given men who should
have been successful the details and the access they needed. None of them had
been effective.

The next time he’d have to act face to face.

It would be his first, and last, attempt to take out Nasir
with his own two hands. If he succeeded, wonderful. If he didn’t his cover
would be blown and five years of soul-destroying work would have been for
nothing. He would also be dead.

But if that was the only way to stop this massacre from
going through he would do his damndest to make it happen.

They finalized some details and Miguel pulled up his comp
and took notes on the things that still needed to be addressed. The whole time
Nasir smiled like a kid in a candy store. In the end he leaned back in his
chair and laughed. “This will remind them that we’re the scourge of the galaxy.
They may think they have us under control with their pitiful little laws, but
this will show them we are more than a fringe group with no power.”

“Are you ready to take the operation out into the open?”

“Oh yes, Miguel, more than.” He tapped his lower lip. “Maybe
we should leave a couple of survivors? Maybe a kid or two…no, I know. Find
someone who is dying already, someone who has only a few more months to live.
He or she will be our witness and remembering us will sweeten the last few days
of their lives.”

Miguel only nodded and made a note on his comp to pull up the
hospital files. “It will be done.” He looked up and met Nasir’s gaze. “My
biggest concern is stopping the troops from falling into the bloodlust.”

Rage flashed in Nasir’s eyes. “Anyone who dares to step out
of line will be killed.”

Miguel raised his brows. “You may want to address them and
share that detail. We’ll also need to keep at least a company behind to deal
with the prisoners. That will cause bad blood.”

Nasir scoffed. “They’ll do as they are told or they’re
dead.”

Miguel nodded. “I’m only letting you know what I believe may
cause problems. We are dealing with Ferals here. Sanity and comprehensive
reasoning are not always at the top of their mind.”

Nasir leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingertips
against each other. “Gah, you’re right. Any suggestions on how to keep the
company happy?”

“You could offer extra pay or give them first pick of the
bounty, but that would defeat the purpose and cost more money.”

“How about I offer them a hunt of their own? Would that be
good enough?”

Miguel’s brows rose.

Nasir waved him off. “Once we’re out in the open they can
grab one of the smaller moons and delete one of their towns.”

Miguel made a note. “I’ll tell them that.”

“Excellent. Is there anything else or are we good?”

Miguel scanned his notes. “We’re good right now. I will work
through some of the kinks and present you with solutions tomorrow.”

“Good.” Nasir smiled. “I’m suddenly famished. I’ll grab a
late snack and see you for our next briefing.”

Miguel stored his comp, gave Nasir a short nod and strode
out of the room.

He needed fresh air, needed to breathe without being
surrounded by monsters. He marched outside and climbed the narrow steps to one
of the smaller defense towers. It gave him an incredible view with no
interruptions and the digital surveillance wouldn’t bother him with stupid
questions or anything else.

He sat there and studied the night sky while attempting to
find a way to kill an immortal monster.

* * * * *

Jayden struggled to push away his guilt as he strode through
the metal hallways in search of Nasir. He hadn’t found him in his office and he
wasn’t in any of the intel rooms. He pulled out his comp and tagged him.

“What?”

“Nasir, I have your delivery.”

The other Vampire’s face brightened on the screen. “What
great timing. I was just about to grab a snack from the pen. Your Naema’s blood
will be far more satisfying. Meet me in my quarters.” He disconnected.

Jayden nearly put his tongue out to the blank screen. “In my
quarters—what kind of dickhead says that? Everyone else has a room, but he has
quarters,” he muttered under his breath as he turned left and marched up to the
private elevator.

Nasir’s quarters were beside his office, but he was the only
one who could access both. Everyone else had to use two separate elevators.
Jayden had never been to Nasir’s personal living space.

For a second he wondered if this was his chance to take him
out, but then he pushed that thought aside. He needed to do more scouting. He
never went anywhere without his gun nor his knife, but he had no idea how the
rooms were laid out. And then there was the fact that for some reason Nasir
appeared to be unkillable.

Until he had more of an idea why, Jayden wasn’t going to
risk his cover on a slim chance.

The elevator doors opened and he stepped into a surprisingly
bright open space. The color schemes were neutral and the furnishings appeared
comfortable. Everything was still expensive looking, but it appeared to be
actually usable.

Nasir lounged on a chaise, a paper book in his hands. “Why
thank you, Jayden.” He nodded to a tray of glasses set out on the coffee table.
“Please pour for me, would you?”

Jayden balled his fist around the cartouche of blood but
widened his grin. “Sure thing, man.” He unscrewed the top and poured Sydney’s
blood into one of the glasses. The smell filled his senses. He swallowed the
saliva pooling in his mouth. Her blood smelled better than anything he had ever
had before him.

“Jayden!”

Nasir’s sharp bark pulled him back from the brink. He
carried the glass to the other man and set it at his side. “Anything else?”

Nasir smiled. “Not right now. You may want to track down
Miguel. We had a lovely conversation about the attack we’re launching day after
tomorrow and I believe it would be beneficial if you’re part of the planning.”

Jayden kept his smile in place and nodded. “Sounds good. I’m
sure I’ll see him in a bit anyway, but I’ll check if he needs me right now.”

Nasir lifted the glass of blood and had his first sip. “Hm,
this is good.” He turned the page in the book and appeared busy reading.

Jayden stopped himself from rolling his eyes, turned around
and left the quarters.

The news about the attack was worrisome. The fact Nasir
mentioned it meant it wasn’t one of their usual hauls. There had been rumors
among the lieutenants that they were about to take their operation out into the
open. If this were indeed the case, it would give him a very, very short window
to contact his team and try to stop or at least lessen the slaughter.

He opened and closed his right hand as he strode through the
compound. This could be very bad or the opportunity he needed. Jade only knew
which one it would be.