The Chosen Sin (7 page)

“Uh-huh.” She tipped her chin at the two men. “So, what's your connection to Sante, Brandon?”

“We share the same blood mother, Maria Gillante.” He had a charming English accent.

Daria raised an eyebrow. “That's a pretty damn good connection, Brandon, but I'll be honest with you. The fact that you share the same blood mother as Sante, the same woman who was the reason my best friend was killed, doesn't make me feel very warm and fuzzy. ” The words sounded hostile, but she didn't know any other way to sound at this point.

She glared at Alejandro. “It would have nice to have been told about this beforehand.”

Alejandro sighed. “Look, Daria, this is a
joint
operation between the ABI and the GBC. The ABI didn't get to set all the rules. At the GBC's insistence, they agreed to Brandon being included. He brings skills we don't have to the table. You do want to get Sante, don't you?”

She gave him a withering look. “No, I wanted to grow a nice pearly white set of fangs for the hell of it.”

Brandon glanced at Alejandro. “Uh, I'm just going to use the bathroom. Give you two a little time to talk.” He pushed past her and headed toward the back.

Her pack leaned against the commview. She grabbed it and rifled through it for some clean clothes. “Why didn't you tell me about this last night?”

“Because I knew you'd react like this and you needed to be as relaxed as possible for the Choosing.”

She turned and stared at him. “You don't know me that well. It's been seven years since we had anything to do with each other. I'm a completely different person now. There's no way you knew how I'd react.”

“Yeah, okay, so I guessed.” He grinned, and it infuriated her. “I guessed right, though, didn't I?”

Daria swore under her breath and turned back around to keep searching through her bag for her clothing. She didn't want anyone else horning in on their operation. It would only complicate things.

 
ALEJANDRO'S mouth went dry as he watched Daria turn her back to him and drop the towel to her waist in order to pull on a bra and T-shirt.

His gaze followed the slender line of her nape down the sweet taper of her back to her narrow waist.
Dios
, he could see the curve of her breasts when she moved just right. The nipple he'd just been treated to a peek of was a pretty, suckable pink.

Dulce.
Sweet. Just like he remembered it.

He wanted to walk over and cup her breasts in his hands, roll her nipples between his fingers. Wanted to do what she'd done to herself underneath her shirt the night before, while she'd been driving him insane as he tried not to fuck her right there on the floor. Last night she would've let him touch her, but if he tried now, he'd draw his hands back missing a couple digits. Although it might be worth the loss.

Even seven years later, he remembered her skin had been so silky and smooth under his hands and lips. He shuddered. Last night she'd been so fucking hot and tight when he'd teased her perfect little cunt with his fingers and tongue. The sexy moans and cries she'd made still echoed in his ears. Alejandro made fists as he remembered just how good she'd tasted, all spicy sweet. Her clit so responsive against his tongue . . . His fingers literally itched to touch her right now.

He looked away and rubbed a hand over his face, feeling stubble. He needed a shower and shave. “Daria, I had no say in the GBC's decision to include Brandon, but he'll bring benefits to the mission. He won't be a detriment.”

“He'll have to convince me of that.”

Keeping the towel around her waist, she slipped on a pair of white cotton panties, then dropped the towel and slid on a pair of blue jeans. There was heaven in the curve of that ass. He felt his cock stiffen.

She seemed completely unconscious of her sexual allure. It didn't even register that she was changing in front of a man who wanted nothing more than to pull her over to the bed so he could cover her body with his and kiss every inch of her, concentrating on that sweet, rounded ass and the smooth skin at the small of her back.

He'd lay her facedown, nudge her thighs apart, and press his cock against her, but not enter her. Not right away. He'd tease her nipples, lick and bite her throat until she pushed up and back. Only then would he grab her hips and cram his cock inside her tight cunt, take up a fast and hard rhythm to drive them both to bliss.
Fuck.

Didn't she know she was driving him crazy?

“Don't like complications.” Daria turned. “Alejandro?”

“Yes?”

“Did you just hear anything I said?”

“Uh.”

She waved a hand dismissively at him and pulled on a pair of white socks and some heavy, black dune-biker boots. “Whatever. We're stuck with him, so that's that.”

“There's that positive attitude I love about you,” Alejandro shot back.

The woman could drive him insane in more ways than one.

The bathroom door opened and Brandon walked out. “What Alejandro didn't tell you was that I turned against Maria long ago. I left her right about the time she started keeping blood slaves in her territory because I was against the practice. It caused a rift between us. Sante stayed loyal to her, but I went back home to England and eventually started working for the Body. Sante has no idea I started working for the GBC. That makes me an excellent participant in this operation.”

“How's that? It sounds like Sante wouldn't want you anywhere near him, let alone give you entrance into the exclusive community of the Shining Way,” Daria reasoned. “I mean, he's still loyal to Gillante, seems like he'd be a little pissed at you.”

“You're right that he's angry.” Brandon smiled. “That's exactly why he was more than happy to grant me entry. Even though Sante has left Maria's territory, he's still close to her and he's miffed at me for turning against her. He's just itching to tell me off. We used to be close, he and I, before I left for England.”

“Ah, England.” Daria draped the towel over the commview and turned. “How are the merry ol' Brits these days?”

“Bloody overcrowded like everywhere on Earth,” Brandon answered with a grin. “We still make excellent tea, however.”

Daria smiled and extended her hand. “Welcome aboard, I guess.”

Brandon shook her hand. “I've heard nothing but the highest praise of you from the GBC and from Alejandro. You're supposed to be a hell of an agent.”

“Thanks, but at the moment, I only feel hellish. The Choosing walloped the piss out of me.”

“You'll feel that way for a couple days.”

“So they say,” Daria muttered as she ran a hand through her damp hair. “I wish Alejandro and I could have had our party a little sooner than last night. I could've used some time to adjust before we headed to the Shining Way, but the schedule is tight. Everything's been happening really fast since Ari was taken. No time to lose.”

Brandon turned to Alejandro. “We need to coordinate our arrivals. When are you two leaving here?”

“Later,
tio
. Daria needs to rest a little. The deadline is five a.m. Anyone on the list to be admitted who shows up after that time doesn't get in.” The Shining Way grouped all the new members to arrive on the same day. Alejandro imagined there were likely more than just the three of them.

“Okay. I'll go in before the two of you.”

Alejandro nodded. “Sounds good.”

“The GBC told me no firepower. Is that true?” asked Brandon, looking from Alejandro to Daria.

Daria shrugged. “It's not like we can waltz in with a lot of weapons. That would look pretty suspicious. Hell, we can't even take in PComps.”

“We can try to take our pulsers,” said Alejandro. Everyone carried pulsers these days. “But my money is on the guards confiscating them.”

“We're going to have to be our own weapons,” answered Daria.

“This isn't going to be easy,” said Brandon, “but I'm glad the GBC convinced the ABI that blasting their way in wasn't a good idea.”

Daria walked to the edge of the bed and sat down. Alejandro watched her rub her palms on her jeans. She looked like she needed a few more hours of sleep, but he couldn't give it to her.

“That was just misguided,” she said on a tired sigh. “The ABI would've had to use an incredible amount of firepower to simply break past the barriers of the Shining Way. It would've been like laying siege to a castle. Sante would've probably just found a way to smuggle Ari out in the melee, anyway.”

“If she's still alive,” said Brandon.

“If she's even there,” Alejandro answered. “We don't know if she's being kept there yet. No one is even sure Richard Templeton's suspicions are true.”

“Yeah,” replied Brandon. “Imagine the scandal if the ABI sent forces blasting into someone's private property on a suspicion that turned out to be false. Sante would have a bloody sweet lawsuit.”

“And the Organization for the Fair Treatment of Chosen would have a field day. They're always looking for a reason to accuse the ABI and human law of bigotry.”

Daria nodded. “The bottom line is that the ABI knows now this isn't a job for an elephant. It's a job for three little mice.”

“Hey, are you calling me a mouse?” joked Brandon.

“I can't believe she just called herself a mouse,” muttered Alejandro.

“Yep, we're three lethal little mice,” Daria answered as she rubbed her temples as though she had a headache. “Sante won't know what hit him.”

The objective was to capture Sante alive if possible, take him dead if not. Alejandro suspected Daria might be looking less for a way to take Sante alive than dead. Considering all she'd sacrificed so far to get close to him, Alejandro wondered how she'd act when they finally had him in their control.

“Yeah, well, we don't kill Sante unless we have to,” said Alejandro. “Remember, Daria, that's the deal.”

She paused in the massage of her temples and looked up at him. Her eyes glittered. “I know what we're supposed to do, Alejandro.”

“Anything we do, it's going to have to be subtle,” said Brandon. The GBC and the ABI both agree that this is an operation that requires delicacy,” said Brandon. He smiled. “You don't seem very subtle, Daria. No offense.”

Daria dropped her hands to her lap and laughed. “Brandon, we've only just met and you already know me well.”

 
 
DARIA staggered at the entrance of the tent and nearly fell. She went down on one knee and gritted her teeth. “I'm so weak,” she bit off. Strong hands helped her to her feet.

“It's all part of being newly Chosen, Daria,” said Alejandro. Both their packs were slung over his shoulder. “Consider yourself mine now, under my protection. I'll teach you what you need to know.”

Was he deliberately trying to piss her off, or was he being sincere? She fought the growl in her throat and blew out a breath instead. If it was a goad, taking it was probably just what he wanted. Shit, she hated this, having to rely on someone else.

“I have a headache and the drug patch I put on isn't working.” She bit the inside of her lip until she nearly drew blood at the whine in her voice.

“You're not human anymore, Daria. Of course it's not working.” Alejandro's voice was gentle.

Dread curled in the pit of her stomach with the reminder. He was right; she wasn't human anymore. She'd forfeited her humanity. Forfeited it to get Sante. If she could attain that goal, maybe it would be worth it.

She pushed past him and walked into the small tent that housed their dune bikes. “Come on, let's get going.”

Daria and Alejandro secured their packs, donned their protective gear, and mounted their bikes. Brandon had left not long after he'd arrived. He'd headed to the dome right after midnight and was probably already in.

Alejandro and Daria revved the vehicles' engines to life and flew off in puffs of sand, leaving the tents behind.

The moon hung like a lavender ball in the beautiful Darpongese sky. She'd never seen a more stunning night sky than she'd seen out here in the desert reaches of the Logos Territory, except maybe when she took the shuttle from Earth to the Angel System and back.

She should get used to the night sky since she wouldn't be seeing blue sky, not the
real
blue sky, anyway, ever again. Too bad, it had been too long since she'd seen the blue skies of Earth.

If all went well with this mission, maybe she could go back there on leave and visit her mother. She'd have to introduce the topic of her Chosen-ness slowly. Her mother would have a heart attack, thinking her daughter had joined one of those strange vampire cults.

They were the fad now. Simple humans—fed on the romanticism of the Chosen and hoping for immortality—joined them. Most of the Chosen themselves scorned the cults. They would Choose only those marked for it at birth, and in most cases no others. There was too much risk that unmarked humans would not be strong enough to breach the succubare stage. Now Daria could see why so many did not.

Even though vampires fed from the succubare and therefore needed them, the population was too large. Succubare sex workers littered the galaxies, feeding off their clients' lust and orgasms to survive.

Daria shivered. She'd been lucky to avoid that fate, though maybe what she'd done was even worse.

Alejandro angled his bike toward the east, and she followed suit. They weren't far from the protected space encircling the compound of the Shining Way. It lay in an area monitored heavily by armed guards and was sheltered under a dome that deflected air missiles. Purportedly, within the dome was a self-contained society of Chosen modeled to mimic Earth. It was probably the closest the Chosen would ever get to their own space.