Untamed Hawaiian Heat (Rift Hunters) (21 page)

Tiaki licked his lips before Mateo broke the invisible thread strung tight between them. His eyes flashed with anger. He shoved away from Mateo and stalked over to his bag. He pulled a T-shirt out and jerked it over his head, his jaw clenched. “Mateo came to ask me something. I dismissed class so we could talk.” He turned around and met Mateo’s gaze, a dangerous glint sparking in the depths of his eyes.

Mateo spun around and started to push past her, but she wasn’t about to let him run away again. She wanted to know what the fuck had happened here. The tension was so thick between the two of them she could cut it with one of her sleek, black throwing daggers. Not to mention the strong scent of sex wafting through the room. She grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him to a stop.

She flicked her gaze between them. “Bullshit! I felt one hell of a lot of emotion flooding not only my cybernetic link with Mateo but also the connection between our magic.” She glared at them when they continued to remain silent.

Mateo flexed his jaw as he tried to control the anger she sensed roiling off him in waves despite their link being barred. “Drop it, Kiana. And get out of my way. I’ve got things to do,” he said through clenched teeth. Kiana caged the irritation spiking through her at Mateo’s continued refusal to open up to her.

“Oh, did I forget to mention that the physical sensations filtering through our link were so intense that I came at least twice as I made my way here?” she whispered.

Something flashed in Tiaki’s eyes before he looked away.

She glanced up to find Mateo watching her, though she couldn’t read the emotions in his eyes like she normally could. “Why won’t you tell me why you’re determined to deny what you feel for Tiaki?”

“You’ve never told her about him?”

Mateo snapped his head up to meet Tiaki’s eyes. “Don’t.”

“Him? Is this about the man named Remi that I’ve caught glimpses of recently?” Kiana asked.

Mateo turned and stared at the window high on the wall behind her. “I don’t—”

“Yes, it is,” Tiaki said, cutting him off.

Kiana cupped Mateo’s chin and forced him to look at her. “What are you afraid to tell me, ku’uipo?”

He held her gaze for a long moment before closing his eyes. A single tear escaped as he whispered, “Remi was my first and only male lover before I moved to Hawaii. Before I met you, Kiana. He’s dead, and I don’t want to talk about him.”

Kiana moved to hold his face between her hands. “I want to show you something.”

“No, Kiana. Let Mateo go.”

Her head snapped to Tiaki at the sharp command. “I need to…”

Tiaki walked over to them. “I know what you’re thinking of doing. I’m telling you, don’t.” He laid his hand over hers where she caressed Mateo’s cheek. “Let him go.”

She closed her eyes as her magic tingled, sparked wildly, and rushed to connect with Mateo and Tiaki. She shuddered, then felt it cry out when Tiaki eased her fingers away from Mateo’s jaw. She opened her eyes to look at Mateo, but he was gone. “Why did you stop me?”

Tiaki dropped his hand from hers. “You were going to try to show him some vision. Doing so might seem like the right course of action, Kiana, but trust me…now is not the time.” He retreated to his bag and started shoving stuff inside.

Kiana stalked over to him and jerked him around to face her. “How could you know what I was going to do? There are only two people who know about my visions, and one of them is no longer among us.”

Tiaki met her gaze. “One of the ways the magic can manifest itself in the natural capacity is to give the user visions. In other words, she or he would be a seer.”

“That still doesn’t explain—”

“I may not have the ability to do most of the things a psychic Rift Hunter can do,” he said, cutting her off, “but when my magic combined with yours and Mateo’s, something happened, and I can suddenly do some of those things, but only with the two of you.”

“But…”

“I’ve been inside your mind. And although I didn’t do it on purpose, I did see shadowy images of your strongest memories. I tried to push them away before they could solidify enough for me to understand them.” He raised his hand as though to cup her cheek but dropped it back to his side instead. “I only know what you were going to show him because those particular images struck me even though they weren’t fully formed.” Without waiting for her to reply, he turned and left the room.

Her mind was still whirling from this new development a few minutes later when she realized he was gone.

Chapter Seventeen

Kiana riffled blindly through the
pareos
in the chest beside her desk. She didn’t give a damn what the hell she wore to the luau tonight. If she’d had her say, she wouldn’t have allowed the luau to happen at all. But she understood the soldiers needed to have a little fun. Especially after everything that had been thrown at them the last few weeks.

All she could think about, though, was what she’d walked in on earlier when she’d entered the training room. She closed her eyes and let the memory replay in her mind.

“Earth to Kiana!”

Kiana shook off the memory to find Niki standing in front of her. “Sorry. What did you say?”

Niki wrinkled her forehead. “You okay? I’ve been trying to get your attention for a couple minutes now.”

Kiana dropped the pareo she held in her hand. “I don’t know, Niki. I’m trying to understand why Mateo and Tiaki both refused to tell me the truth about this afternoon.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

Kiana closed her eyes and released a heavy sigh as she sat down in the desk chair. “I know what happened. I practically felt every touch.”

“Every touch?”

She opened her eyes, looked at Niki, and nodded. “What the hell am I supposed to do, Niki? I love Mateo, but…I’m falling in love with Tiaki too.” She dropped her head into her hands.

“So you’ve decided you want to try for this soul bond you told me about?”

Her question was so quiet, Kiana almost didn’t hear her. Did she want to complete the soul bond with Mateo and Tiaki? Even as she asked herself the question, her magic stirred. The thought of being bound to both of them aroused something so hot and carnal inside her. Not just her body, but her heart and soul as well. The feeling terrified her as much as it thrilled her. “Yes, I do,” she said quietly.

A wicked smile curved Niki’s mouth. It was a smile Kiana knew well.

It was her ‘we’ll be paying for doing what I’m about to suggest later, but we’ll have fun doing it’ smile.

“I think the key here is to turn the tables on them. Use the connection you felt everything through to your advantage. Here’s what you should do.”

* * * *

Tiaki emerged from the barracks where he’d been staying into a brilliant late-afternoon sun that shone against the horizon. He would much rather have been with his mates. But since he still hadn’t been able to break down the barrier Mateo continued to hide his heart behind, that wasn’t an option. When his eyes finally grew accustomed to the light, he cast a glance around the clearing.

From the looks of it, the soldiers’
ohanas
must have come for the celebration by whatever secret means they used to visit. The number of people he normally saw seemed to have doubled and included quite a few children. He could sense magic in more of the children than he expected.

He was a little surprised to be greeted by everyone as though he were an old friend. The soldiers thanked him for what he’d done for Kiana and Mateo. It was obvious they’d do anything for them. They respected them both as their commanders and loved them as members of their extended ohana. He didn’t miss the appreciative looks some of the single soldiers, both men and women, shot his way, either.

Deciding it best to pretend he hadn’t noticed, he walked to the area where tables had been set up. Most of them were piled high with an assortment of food. His magic began to tingle in anticipation before he felt an arm snake through his. Energy surged in his blood at the contact, and he didn’t have to look to know it was Kiana. Somehow the connection between his magic and hers continued to grow stronger, despite them not having completed the bonding ceremony.

So is the connection with Mateo
. The thought whispered through his mind, conjuring up an image of Mateo leaning over him, pressing against him intimately. He’d been stunned earlier when Mateo had kissed him the way he had.

“You’re not sitting by yourself, Tiaki. Come on. I’ll show you around and explain the games being played.” She pulled him toward the sound of children laughing.

Tiaki closed his eyes and concentrated on trying to lessen her effect on him, and used his instincts to make sure he didn’t fall as he followed her. The sultry sound of her voice wreaked havoc on his senses when she started telling him about the various games being played, oblivious to the fact he’d closed his eyes. Not that closing them had helped much.

Taking a deep breath to steady his heartbeat, Tiaki opened his eyes and looked at her. The pareos she wore, one tied low on her hips and the other twisted over her breasts, left her midriff exposed to well past her navel. He forced himself to not think about what she wore underneath. If he knew, he might carry her back to her room and spank her for daring to dress that way. The sun glinted off the heart-shaped sunburst tribal tattoo that wrapped itself around the curve of her side, making it shimmer a brilliant silver like her magic.

“And those
keiki
, children, are playing
’ulu maika
, or rolling stones,
konane
— Hawaiian checkers, and over there the men are staging
kio
—mock war games. I’m sure they’ll let you join in if you want to.” She glanced up at him.

His gaze clashed with hers, igniting a passionate hunger in his veins. It was unlike anything he’d ever felt before from her and Mateo. “Not right now, but I’ll keep it in mind.” He grimaced to hear the roughness of his voice. He really was trying to be good.

Her long brown hair blew softly in the breeze, caressing her skin and stirring the yearning to do the same with his fingers. The yellow and white plumeria flowers she’d secured behind her left ear caught his attention. He’d heard a couple of the older women telling some young girls that when they wore a flower on the right side, it meant the woman was single; the left side meant she was taken. Was she trying to say something by wearing two? He met her eyes, and his heart skipped a beat at the emotions he saw reflected there.

Hunger. Lust. Need…and something more he shied away from naming.

Though he knew it was an exact mirror of what was probably visible in his eyes.

His magic swirled restlessly in his blood…begging to be set loose to claim her. He forced the feeling to the back of his mind. He couldn’t claim her…not unless…no, not until Mateo accepted they were meant to be together. “You look ātanga!” His voice came out as a husky whisper and heavily laced with the desire flooding him.

Kiana watched him closely. “
Mahalo
,” she said in a breathy whisper. She broke eye contact and let go of his arm. “Um…did anyone warn you about the festivities taking place tonight?”

Tiaki shoved the disappointment at the loss of physical connection away and flashed a smile when she looked back at him. “Yes, they did. I even practiced with some of the guys this morning. Although I didn’t really need much instruction. My planet, Mākutu, was founded by the gods of the Polynesian Islands. Many of our traditions are similar.”

“Hmm… I wonder what else our cultures have in common?” She returned his smile, stifling a small laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“I was just thinking how strange it is to be talking to someone from another galaxy and yet our cultures share so many things.” She moved to the side to let some children run ahead of them toward the table heavily laden with food. She reached out and ruffled the hair of one of them, a wistful smile curving her lips. She cleared her throat and continued. “How about we get something to eat? We’ll see if you recognize anything.” She hesitated for a moment, then grabbed his hand and laced her fingers through his. She pulled him toward the buffet.

His magic danced wildly at the touch of her hand in his, dragging a barely audible moan from his throat.
Gods, this is insane!
How the hell did anybody survive the soul bonding? He could hardly function with his magic constantly reaching out to connect with Kiana and Mateo.

Their emotional cybernetic link didn’t help one fucking bit. Even though he didn’t have one, theirs enhanced the depth to which he was able to feel the emotions raging through him no matter which one of them he was with if they both had the link open. Especially if he allowed his magic even a fraction of freedom to join with the one he was with.

He sighed in relief when they reached the table, and he found a reason to let go of her hand. When she didn’t let go immediately, he said, “I need the use of my hand to fill my plate.”

Kiana met his gaze. With a wicked smile, she lowered her eyes and brought his hand to her mouth.

Tiaki inhaled sharply when she flicked her tongue out to taste his skin. His heart sped up, and his magic pulsed at the contact, seeking to fuse with hers. He fought the impulse to drag her delectable body against his and claim her mouth, despite the large number of people who would witness it. He started to tug his hand free when she dropped it, grabbed a plate of her own, and turned to the buffet.

Glancing over at him, she gestured for him to fill his plate. “So do you see anything you recognize?” She waved to the dishes on display.

He moved beside her, his magic still humming from the sensuality of her actions, and studied the food. “Hmm…I recognize the pineapple, mango, papaya, and rice.” He gestured to another dish. “I believe this is some type of fish. And I’m not sure I want to know what that is.” He pointed to a bowl filled with what he could only describe as purplish-gray goo.

Kiana laughed and began piling an assortment of dishes on both of their plates. “You’re correct. That is fish. Mahimahi, to be exact.” She said the name of each dish he hadn’t identified. “Kalua pig, sweet potato with coconut, lomi salmon, haupia, and”—she placed a scoop of the goo on his plate—“this is poi.”