Absolution (Delroi Prophecy Book 4) (11 page)

He slid inside an inch. She caught her
breath, gaze locked on the space where their bodies were barely joined.

“More,” she gasped. “Give me more”

“Give me what I want first,” he
growled.

She looked up into eyes darkened and
gleaming with lust and love, and couldn’t resist teasing him. Teasing them
both. She rose above him until his cock slid free, then she slowly lowered on
him as much as he’d allow. It wasn’t enough. His nostrils flared and dominance
flooded her mind. The anticipation made her shiver.

“Be careful, love. I’m no tame
Earthling.”

Thank god for that. “No. You’re a
strong, confident Delroi warrior who takes what he wants. So why aren’t you
fucking me?” she taunted.

She had no idea what had come over
her. She just knew she couldn’t submit so easily, so quickly. He drove into
her, held her still when she tried to move. He kissed her, his tongue plunging
deep in a way that mimicked what she wanted from his cock. She moaned into his
mouth, pressed her chest against his, and reveled in his possession. Damn. How
had she ever lived without this? And now she didn’t have to. He was hers
anytime she wanted him. She felt his triumph as he deepened the kiss.

“Say
it, der’lan. Out loud. Better yet, why don’t you scream it?”

With that request--or was it an
order?--he lifted her off his cock. She cried out at the loss. He reached
behind her and removed the cuffs, then rolled them over. Her ass was on the
edge of the bed and he stood between her spread thighs, hands punishing on her
hips. He drove into her pussy in measured thrust that almost made her beg for
more. Harder, faster, rougher. She bit the words back. It would come to that,
she knew, but the longer he dragged it out the better the orgasm would be. He
kept one hand on her hip and moved the other to where they were joined. He spread
the lips of her sex to expose her clit and brushed his thumb over it. It was a
light teasing touch. A denial of the demand in her mind.

“Squeeze your nipples, sweetheart.
Show me how much want it.”

“You’re in my mind. You know how much
I want you.”

He grinned, thrust deep and slowly
withdrew, dragging his cock over her G-spot. She cried out, jerked in his
grasp. His thumb stroked her clit harder and leaned down to flick his tongue
over nipple.

“Do it, Anna Leigh.”

The dominance in his tone was almost
enough to make her come. She lifted her hands to palm her breasts, pinched her
nipples between a finger and thumb. It felt so good she shared the sensation
with him and watched the lust glowing in his eyes morph into pure possession.
Leaning down, he took one of her offerings between his lips. Sucked hard and
stop just before her orgasm could wash through her. Then he did it again and
again. By the time he spoke again he was trembling. Desperate.

“Who do you belong to love?” he
whispered against her ear before nibbling it. “You want relief? You want to
come? Tell me.”

“If I’m yours then you’re mine.” She
believed it now. Had been coming to believe it for days.

He shuddered. “Gods, yes.”

Then he gave her what they both wanted.
They were connected so deeply, so completely she felt every nuance, every
touch, every ounce of love he felt for her. His thrusts started out slow and
languorous. His gaze never left hers. She mewled a complaint and couldn’t
believe the sound had come from her throat. In a sane moment she would have
considered it weak and needy, two words she would never in a million years have
used to describe herself before she met him.

“You
do the same to me,”
he whispered into her mind.

She could see the truth in his mind. Before
she could marvel at it, though, his rhythm changed, became fast and demanding.
It was a fast hard ride and she loved every second of it. She was already on
edge so each thrust pushed her higher. Every nudge against her G-spot sent
streaks of ecstasy rushing through her. He didn’t hold her back from orgasm
this time, whispering in her ear, demanding she jump off the ledge with him. It
was so intense she felt shattered from the inside out. He collapsed on top of
her and she wrapped her arms and legs around him, holding him close until their
breathing evened. He rose enough to look into her eyes, brushed the hair off
her face.

“Mine.”

“Yours.”

She was done trying to fight it,
trying to save him or herself from heartbreak. He chuckled and pulled the sheet
over them.

“I don’t think you need to worry about
that anymore, love.”

No. She didn’t. She wouldn’t.

Chapter Eight

The next few days passed in a blur. Mikail
and the Bana rebels were quietly put to death. Most the rebels in another clan,
the Petras, had been hunted down and also executed, but their chief and the
surviving Tel agents remained at large. She and Zola had both asked about Barak’s
spies, but their queries had been politely deflected.

They hadn’t had any luck locating Zane
either. The apartment the Tel agents from the training site had used yielded no
leads, nor did their comm devices. Xan’s people had gone over both before they’d
reluctantly given them to Barak. If he’d found anything he was keeping it close
to the chest. She understood why, she still wasn’t entirely trusted, but it
rankled all the same.

So it was no surprise Anna Leigh was
uneasy when the last day of the rebirth celebration arrived with no further
attacks from either group or information being shared. She felt certain things
would come to a head soon. She couldn’t say if it was instinct, a sixth sense,
or experience that convinced her, but she was on guard for danger and she was
expecting it today. It was no surprise Xan noticed.

“You’re anticipating trouble,” he
murmured.

She nodded, watching the crowds they
walked through on the way to the Keep. She tried to note the clan markings on
the warriors they passed, but there were too many. Most she didn’t recognize,
but she knew Xan would list them for her later if she asked.

“If I was planning to make a big
public splash, I would do it today.”

“Why?”

He knew the answer, was giving her the
chance to talk it out and brainstorm options. Smiling, she leaned close and
kissed his throat. Damn, she loved him.

“I’ll
be sure to let you remind me of that later,”
he said
telepathically. The images that filled her mind would have made her stumble if
he hadn’t wrapped his arm around her waist. Laughing, she slapped his chest.

“Stop
it. We have work to do.”

“Why today?” he prodded.

“It may be the end of the celebration,
but there are more people in the city than when the when it opened, and I’d bet
almost every clan on the planet is represented here.”

Since so many clan chiefs were in the
city, the Overchief had decided to have an impromptu summit on the recent rebel
attacks. It made for a nice big fat target. She suspected that was why he was
doing it. She and Xan were on their way there now. There was a long line at the
main entrance to the Keep so they went to the warrior compound entrance where they
had no trouble getting in. By now everyone knew she was Zola’s mother and of
course they recognized Xan.

They went through the warrior compound
and into the main common area in the center of the Keep. Her senses went on high
alert. The place was packed. It would be so easy for rebels to go unnoticed
with some many different people represented. They couldn’t all vouch for each
other, could they? But this was so damned obvious it just felt wrong. Which
probably made it brilliant in someone’s mind.

A raised dais had been erected against
the wall on the opposite side of the large room and they wended their way
through the throngs to get closer. Every few feet someone stopped them to speak
to Xan. Each time her anxiety grew. Finally they drew closer to the dais. She
spotted the Overchief and his brother, Alrik, speaking with Barak and Roarr.
They were all relaxed and she was surprised at the Overchief’s lack of guards.

“Is
he trying to get himself killed?”
she snarled mentally
to Xan.

“He’s
trying to end this.”

It was a disaster in the making.
Britt, standing at Barak’s side, met her gaze. Anna Leigh saw her vigilance reflected
in the younger woman’s eyes.

“Do
you sense anything specific?”
she asked.

Anna Leigh shook her.
“Danger. Hate. Fury.”

It had grown the closer they got to
the Overchief, was now almost overwhelming but she couldn’t raise her shields.
If she did she might miss the beginning of the attack. Anticipation and glee
suddenly pulsed against her mind. Attack was imminent. A fight broke out in the
crowd behind Daggar and Alrik. She and Xan pushed their way through to help,
but slowed when Britt reassured her.

“Three
rebels. Dead. None of our people are injured.”

“That can’t be all of them,” she said
to Xan after filling him in.

“No. And they would have known they
couldn’t get to Daggar. There’s another target.”

His tone was grim, his eyes searching
the crowd. Kaal joined them and she was going to ask where Siana was when Xan
grunted. She felt a flare of pain before he repressed it and sought out the
cause. A warrior shoved through the crowd away from them, Xan already moving to
pursue. A group of Bana warriors intercepted and surrounded him. That was when
she noticed the blood flowing down Xan’s side.

“I
need Jarek. Xan’s been injured,”
she said to Britt.

His attacker turned to face them then.
Xan’s shock filled her mind as they stared at Goran. She reached out for him
but her telepathy slid off his mind. She didn’t get the chance to explore the
anomaly.

“Why?” Xan asked in a rasping voice.

He swayed and pressed a hand against
his wound.

“You
need to get to the healer.”

He looked down at her, wrapped his
free arm around her shoulders and let her take some of his weight. Barak,
Britt, and Daggar arrived, their fury forceful against her shields, but even it
felt wrong.

“Med Bay,” the Overchief snapped.

Xan didn’t argue, but he focused a
cold glare on Goran. “Bring him,” he ordered Kaal, who held the warrior in a
rough grasp. “I want some answers.”

The crowd parted for them to pass, and
a couple of minutes later Xan pulled off his shirt and sat on the edge of the
bed. Anna Leigh watched as Jarek cleaned away the blood which was already
slowing. It was a shallow wound, thank God. Xan had sensed the threat and
twisted away just in time to avoid a life threatening injury. Assured he would
fine, she turned to Goran, reaching for his mind again. And again, her
telepathy slid off without penetrating his thoughts.

“I’ve
never encountered a shield like his. I thought Britt vetted him?”

“Yes.
I’ve been in his mind before, too. I knew he was a telepath, but I’ve never
sensed this level of power or this kind of betrayal.”

“Explain yourself,” Xan ordered.

The Overchief looked like he might
object but then he stepped back to observe. Anna Leigh opened her senses to
take in all the nuances in the room. Something was really not right about this.
Before Goran could say anything, Xiri rushed in. Looking back and forth between
her cousin and her mate, she paled, a stricken look crossing her face.

“What have you done?” she asked Goran.

“What I had to do to protect you,” he
answered softly, the look his eyes just as agonized as Xiri’s expression.

The Banas in the room froze, but she
noticed the Overchief and his people didn’t seem surprised or confused. The
atmosphere in the room changed from full on fury to cautious suspicion. What
the hell was going on?

“Goran,” Xan said, using his
commander’s tone. “You tried to kill your clan chief. Why shouldn’t I execute
you for it?”

“No offense, my lord, but if I had
truly wanted you dead you would be. You trained me yourself so you know that.”

Xan cocked an eyebrow, but made no
comment. Anna Leigh felt grudging respect in his mind. And a healthy dose of
regret.

“What was your intent then?” he asked.

Goran exhaled a pent up breath. “I
couldn’t get close to warn you any other way. The Earthlings are with what’s
left of the Petra rebels. One of their telepaths thinks he inserted a compulsion
in my mind to kill you. I was told if I fought it, they’d kill Xiri.”

Xan glared at Barak. “My man is one of
your spies, clan chief?” Barak nodded. “You didn’t think I needed that
information? I put my cousin’s life in his hands.”

“She wasn’t in danger, Xan. She’s been
visiting her friends in the goddess temple for the last few days. I had to let
this play out. It was the only way to get the information we need to finish
this,” Barak said.