Unending Desire: Outlawed Realm, Book 1 (8 page)

Releasing Regina, he placed his fingertips on the metal door as he had on the one in his lab. This being a common room for many scientists to use, the lock opened immediately, recognizing his markings as authorized.

Hurriedly, he pulled Regina inside. At this hour, it would be rare to find anyone working in here. Tonight was no exception. Faintly lit as the other labs, equipment—not scientists—crowded its space.

Regina turned to a hologram of the three other dimensions on earth, then back to him as Nikoli eased her against the door. Facing her, he listened to the footfalls outside.

They didn’t continue down the intersection as he’d predicted. Instead, the faint tapping sounds turned in this direction.

Nikoli tensed, knowing what discovery would mean. He placed his finger on Regina’s lips and listened closely.

“Then you’ve approached her about being your mate?” one of the men asked.

“Not yet,” the other answered. “I noticed you had an interest in her and wanted to discuss the matter with you. Were you planning to seek her as your partner?”

“It had crossed my mind. She’s quite intelligent.”

“I understand she’s scored the highest percentile on her tests. I haven’t yet reviewed her file. Have you?”

Nikoli’s shoulders relaxed as his colleagues debated the practicalities of which man would be better suited for the female in question. He expected to feel shame for having betrayed them with his actions tonight, but did not. All that mattered to Nikoli was Regina.

Clearly frightened, her hands on his chest, she searched his face.

Tenderness swept through Nikoli, along with unbearable desire. He stroked her cheek to let her know she had nothing to fear.

His colleagues continued their debate not far from the door, their comments mild, absent of passion.

It raged through Nikoli as Regina held his gaze in the gloom, showing him her uncertainty.

Desperate to comfort her, he pressed his mouth to her ear, all too aware of her delicate fragrance, nearly undone by the silkiness of her hair. “They don’t know we’re in here,” he whispered. “They won’t find out. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Regina’s body softened against his, her warmth and scent consuming his thoughts. Blood heated Nikoli’s chest and groin, thickening his cock, tightening his balls. Another word from her side. Descriptive, dynamic, making him hunger even more…making him act.

He pressed his lips to her velvety cheek.

Regina inhaled sharply, a barely audible sound that touched his heart and captured his soul. Sliding her hands from his chest to his back, she wound her arms around his torso, clinging to him. Out of fear or carnal hunger?

It didn’t matter. They had no future. Even so, harsh reality couldn’t stop him from easing back to learn what had driven her response.

His limbs went weak. In her, he saw lust to match his own, along with wonder he needed more than the promise of safety. Dropping the portable device into his coat pocket, he leaned down, brushing his mouth over hers.

She whimpered.

Torrents of pleasure washed over him. His cock stirred, growing even harder, craving the sanctuary of her cunt. Regina’s arms tightened around him, her sweet breath warming, tickling his lips. He wanted more. For the first time in his existence, Nikoli craved everything a kiss should be, teasing the seam of her mouth with his tongue.

Willingly, she yielded, parting her lips, inviting him inside.

He filled her then, his tongue plunging into her mouth.

She yielded immediately, arching her back, proving how eager she was to have her body close to his, her breasts crushed against his chest, her mound to his thick ridge of male flesh. At his cock’s stiffness, what she imagined to be its length, Regina moaned faintly, unable to help herself.

Nikoli quieted her with his tongue, angling his mouth for greater penetration.

In the hall, two men continued their quiet conversation, as though they discussed nothing more pressing than the weather.

In here, Nikoli’s passion didn’t abate. He pulled her away from the door and into his large body. Slinging his arm around her waist, he drew her even closer to his length, his strength barely contained, his kiss impassioned, greedy, commanding.

She surrendered, opening her mouth even farther, welcoming him inside, suckling his tongue. He tasted of toothpaste, a mild peppermint flavor, and another Regina couldn’t identify. Something clean and comforting. Inhaling deeply, she caught aromas within the sterile air…the wool scent of his coat and his musk, a faint yet heady fragrance that stirred her beyond restraint.

On a subdued moan that no one outside could hear, she ran her hands up his back and slanted her mouth over his, giving him greater access.

Whatever control he’d still managed to maintain weakened instantly, allowing the male animal within him to respond. Nikoli’s kiss grew even hungrier, a shade below wild, a faint grunt escaping his throat, his beginning beard rasping her skin.

A pulse beat in Regina’s cunt. Her nipples constricted into stiff peaks, her body imploring him to fill her. It was crazy to feel as she did, but she no longer cared. She might have died tonight without ever having experienced this, without ever having known him.

He’d saved her. He’d continued to protect her. He wanted her.

Lifting his free hand, he drove his long fingers through her hair, anchoring her to him, leaving no means of escape.

Regina wanted none. He wasn’t anything he’d told her in the coffee shop. He was more than she could have ever imagined. Strong. Brave. Kind. Passionate.

Loving.

Nikoli’s kiss grew tender, his tongue sweeping the insides of her cheeks, over her teeth, exploring their contours even as his hand went to her breast.

His touch electrified, tempting her in a way she’d rarely known. A surge of desire tore through Regina, leaving her dizzy and limp. With a hunger to match hers, Nikoli cupped her breast in his palm, his thumb flicking the tightened nub, his fingers squeezing the rounded counters with a mixture of passion and care.

She moaned once more, the sound again muffled by his tongue.

It seemed to galvanize him, defeating restraint. Once more, his kiss spoke of a male who required a female, a man who cared for nothing but this moment.

Pressing the pads of her fingers into his muscular back, Regina held tight, unwilling to let the moment end. They enjoyed each other’s taste, scent, warmth for minutes, hardly a lifetime, but to her it seemed as though they’d never been apart.

At last, Nikoli pulled his mouth from hers. Regina heard his quiet gasps, his battle to pull in enough air, the same as her. Or was it?

Her stomach clenched. She recalled how he’d struggled to breathe when they first went through the portal. Was the same thing happening now? Lifting her hand to his cheek, she avoided the wounds Sazaar had given him, running her fingertips lightly over his beginning beard.

“Are you all right?” she whispered. “Is the atmosphere affecting you again?”

Nikoli sighed deeply. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “No. You are.”

A smile tugged at her lips. His answer was what all women wanted to hear from a man, no matter his dimension. Easing back, Regina went weak at his masculine allure. Several dark locks had fallen over his brow, making him appear curiously boyish, endearing him to her even more. With relief, she noted his breathing was still close to normal, as was his rich coloring, the pastiness from before gone.

He leaned down to her, his lips touching her ear. In delight, she trembled.

Nikoli murmured, “I’m sorry for what Sazaar and I have brought into your life.”

His apology, the resignation behind it, sounded like good-bye.

“It’s not your fault,” she whispered. “I don’t blame you. I’d never blame you.”

He didn’t respond.

Just past the door, the men’s comments grew serene, as though they’d made a decision about something. Snatches of quiet filled the spaces between their words. Was their conversation finished? Would they now move on, giving Nikoli a chance to do whatever he’d planned?

For the first time, Regina wondered what his plan was. Did he intend to bring her to the other side, making certain she was safe, then leave her forever?

One of the men spoke again. The other made a sound of acknowledgement, not adding any comment. Again, they fell silent.

“What are they talking about?” she asked Nikoli.

“Not us.”

“Why aren’t they continuing down the hall?”

Nikoli didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. One of the men had just spoken. Instantly, Nikoli’s muscles stiffened beneath Regina’s fingers, telling her that at any moment he feared one of the pair would come inside.

“Where can we go for good?” she whispered. Deliberately, she included them both, unable to bear the thought of him returning to this dimension, facing execution or sure death from the atmosphere because he’d risked his life to save her. “Where will we be safe?”

He pulled back from her, listening as the men resumed speaking. A bit of relief flickered across his face.

Had they decided to move on?

“Nowhere here,” Nikoli whispered, answering her question. “On your side…” He paused, then reached inside his coat pocket, taking out his portable instrument.

“On my side what?” she asked.

“You’ll be in a place where Andris and the others won’t know to find you. One Sazaar won’t be able to detect for them.”

“What about—” Regina’s words stalled before she could say
you
.

Footfalls sounded from behind. Glancing over, Regina listened carefully, hearing only one man departing, not two. What had happened to the other?

She noticed the renewed worry on Nikoli’s face. What had changed? What had the men—

A soft buzzing sound halted the rest of her thoughts.

Regina stared at the door—still closed.

In obvious haste, Nikoli ran his thumb over the controls on his device. Symbols jumped and flickered on the small screen. Taking her hand, he led her to the back wall, equally shadowed as the rest of the space, though offering no real place to hide.

She noticed a timid whoosh. The door opening?

Yes.

Regina gaped at the man who entered, his coloring dark like Nikoli’s, his complexion nearly as rich, his features eerily similar, his clothing shapeless—a top and pants, resembling a health-worker’s scrubs, constructed of a dull gray material. He read a document in his hand, stopping abruptly as though he sensed an intruder’s presence.

Had he heard them or smelled her perfume?

All the energy drained from Regina’s body, leaving her clammy and weak.

Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, Nikoli drew her into him, wordlessly demanding that she be still and not make a sound.

Blood pounded in Regina’s ears.

The man glanced to the left of them toward the hologram. His attention then inched to the right, where she and Nikoli stood just barely shielded by a large piece of equipment.

A cry of horror stalled in Regina’s throat. She couldn’t pull in enough air.

The man looked farther right.

From behind her, intense cold swept in, just as it had in her office. Tightening his embrace, Nikoli directed her to step back.

Regina’s legs refused to work. Frozen in place, mouth open in alarm, she stared as the man’s gaze inched toward her. Closer, closer, clos—

Time stopped.

Her senses became sharper. A clicking noise seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. She saw a small scar near the man’s chin, a wrinkle in his top, the fabric moving as he turned.

Nikoli tugged her as he backed them through the seam in the wall where they slipped into a new gateway.

Chapter Six

This time, unlike the last, Nikoli didn’t pause as he pulled her backward through the void between their dimensions.

Whatever lay behind them, whatever part of her plane they had entered wasn’t Regina’s greatest concern. Nikoli had indicated it wouldn’t be her office. The quiet surrounding them, the murky light told her they weren’t in a public place. For the moment, he and she were alone, safe from both her people and the vampires.

Although her mind accepted that truth, her body refused to relax. Shoulders bunched, knees tightened, she breathed shallowly, not only from the thinner air in her dimension, but also from her lingering fear of those on his side.

Through the portal’s window, Regina saw the room she and Nikoli had just fled. To the left, something moved. She stared at the man who’d sensed their presence. Again, she noticed how similar his coloring and features were to Nikoli’s. Was he a sibling or maybe a cousin?

Dark brows drawn together, the man seemed to see her. She shivered.

Nikoli tightened his arm around her shoulders.

Turning into him, Regina froze, immediate concern prickling her skin. “What’s wrong?”

Nikoli’s lids remained closed, his face registering pain or discomfort.

“Nikoli.”

He shook his head.

“Dammit, talk to me. Are your lungs burning?”

“No.” He spoke with great effort, his words sluggish. “Atmosphere here is less dense than E2’s. Colors brighter. Time swifter. I need to adjust.” He paused to clear his throat. “Surely you noticed the change too.”

She had but not to the degree he seemed to be experiencing. Placing her hand on his chest, Regina frowned at how his heart raced. “Were you wrong about what you said before? Is Sazaar’s bite affecting you here too?”

“No.” He pulled in more air. The tightness of his jaw, the strain on his features, began to soften. “In a few minutes, I’ll adjust.”

Regina curled her fingers into his sweater. Faint tapping sounds came from the direction of the gateway.

Nikoli’s colleague had moved closer to the portal, his shoes—gray like his clothing—having made the noise. Arm extended, he pressed his hand to the solid wall on his side.

Instinctively, Regina leaned away from him and into Nikoli, the swell of her breast pressing against his ribs. “Will he feel the cold?” she asked, hearing the hollow ring of her words. “Will his hand go through as the vampires’ did?”