Carinian's Seeker (4 page)

“Excellent. I’ll check in with you later, all right, Cari?” Charles crowed, then turned to Bix and said, “Mr. Bixler, it was nice to meet you. Please feel free to tell Dr. Carin if there’s anything you need help deciphering. She’s one of the most brilliant minds in her field.”

The elevator doors whispered open and Charles stepped off, whistling. She wanted to punch him in the nose. The dolt was completely unaware of how anxious she felt right now. Carin narrowed her eyes behind Charles’ back, resisting the urge to stick her tongue out at him as he left her alone in silence with Bix.

Sidheon’s assistant had alerted him the moment Dr. Carinian walked into the facility. He didn’t waste any time making his way down the long hallway to wait in front of her door. His testing was only two days behind. As soon as he had that cart back, he could get back on track. Then sometime this afternoon, he’d make his way back to her labs and inform her she was having dinner with him tonight. And perhaps a bit of animalistic fucking…

His head snapped up, his brow pulled down on a scowl. He sensed her coming, could almost hear her footsteps, but something was…different. And she wasn’t alone. Suddenly an air of caution streaked over and through him. He needed to move. Now. Away from her lab door and down the hall in a blur, he ducked out the exit door and into the stairwell. Easing the door closed just as the doctor stepped around the corner, Sidheon froze as she stopped to unlock the metal door in the exact spot he’d stood only moments before.

He watched the other man’s head swivel from side to side as if he were looking for something. He didn’t move like a human and the intensity of his eyes reminded him of…shit, a Seeker.

His contact had told the truth after all. The Council had put a Seeker on his tail, a so-called dispenser of justice. But it didn’t matter. Once he got his specimens back he’d be able to finish testing his serum and make enough to put his plan into action. All he needed was a few more weeks, a month at the most, then every one of those arrogant V.C.O.E. bastards would be sorry they’d ever labeled him a rogue.

Yes, every Elder and stooge of the V.C.O.E. would pay. Starting with the damned assassin vamp walking into Dr. Carinian’s labs right now.

Bix reached out to Carin with his senses and tried to touch her mind. He jerked his neck back subtly when he slammed into a solid wall of anger. He didn’t think she realized it, but she was blocking him with her ire. He backed off the gentle, unsuccessful probing and settled for directing his keen senses to her heart and lungs. Damn, she was pissed.

He had to admit, she was good at maintaining an illusion of control. Her heartbeat and breathing said she was royally upset about him being here, but her expressionless face and relaxed shoulders said she couldn’t care less if he dropped off the face of the earth just now.

Carin pulled a ring of keys from her lab coat pocket. They jingled furiously in her hand as she jammed the key into the deadbolt.

“It’s nice to see you again, Carin,” Bix said, trying to work past her defenses. “Like Charles said, I’m not officially your boss, just your project coordinator. I’d like to go out some time while I’m in town,” he suggested, flashing his most charming smile. But it wasn’t working, not today. Carin’s disposition was as chilly as the winter night they’d met in Colorado. In spite of the wonderful time they’d had, it was rather obvious she wasn’t happy to see him now.

“I don’t date guys I work with.” Her voice was clipped and hard. She turned her back on him and went back to fiddling with the lock on the door. She turned the handle and the heavy steel door swung open.

“I don’t work for your company, beautiful. I work for an organization with a vested interest in the new gene therapy and cancer drugs you’re developing. So technically…” He almost ran into her back when she stopped abruptly in the middle of the doorway and rounded on him. One hand fisted on her hips as the other one pointed a stiff, angry finger at Bix’s chest.

“Technically,” she snapped, “you led me on in Colorado by keeping your affiliation with my job a secret. My work happens to be very important to me, damn it.”

“The organization I represent has stakes”—he hated that word—“in many pharma and biotech companies. I had no idea I was being sent here until I was on my way to the airport early this morning.” The lie stung his tongue as he forced it out of his mouth. Over the decades he’d always done whatever was necessary to protect his species, including lie to beautiful women. But this time it just didn’t feel right.

She tossed her head and moved fully into the lab, flipping on a series of lights before her keys landed on one of the many tables with a loud clunk. Anger rolled off her in waves as she stood in the middle of the room and pointed out what was what. The place was huge, filled with the most sophisticated equipment money could buy. There were several stations of both stainless steel and graphite topped tables. Some of the stations had various types of microscopes along with computers to record results. The DNA sequencer, centrifuges and fermenters had their own stations and programmable logic controllers to automatically turn them on and off. Six large basin-style sinks took up a third of one long wall, again, all stainless steel. Near the front door, a long oak desk with a matching hutch and a row of bookcases broke up the monotony of the shining steel.

At the back of the lab were two doors. Carin walked back and unlocked the one on the left. She stepped into a full private bathroom, showed him where supplies were kept, soap, towels and the like, and then left him alone to look around. While she sat at her desk checking her voice mail, Bix peeked through the window of the door she hadn’t bothered to open. The ideas that popped into his head caused a roguish smile to play at the corners of his mouth. The room contained a full-sized bed made up with lots of pillows and comfortable-looking blankets, linens and throws. With Carin this close, that bed looked a lot like paradise.

“You sleep here, Carin?” he called across the room.

“Sometimes.” Her words were clipped and somewhat distracted. “When I’m close to a breakthrough, I’d rather just keep working at it.”

He frowned, but quickly schooled his features when she didn’t bother turning around when she answered. Rude wasn’t something he had to put up with often. Because she was upset, he’d overlook it. This time.

“Don’t your pets get lonely?” he asked, knowing he was probing but didn’t care.

“I don’t have pets or anything waiting at home so sometimes I just stay here,” she mumbled, writing down yet another message on a small notepad next to the phone.

No one at home waiting?
For a second he wondered why a woman as smart and beautiful as Carin didn’t have a lover. Bix moved away from the bedroom door and looked around. Her workspace was free of any scent but hers. He inhaled deeply, taking in the rich, natural spice and immediately regretted it when his cock started dancing around in his pants. Deliberately facing the bookcase, he snatched one of the many books about blood diseases off one of the many shelves. Bix flipped through it without seeing a single word on any of the pages. All he could think about was the way Carin’s legs gripped the edge of the chair she sat in while checking her messages. Those thighs should be gripping him. He snapped the book closed and shoved it back into its spot with enough force to make the bookcase tremble, cringing when the thing rocked against the wall.

Carin’s head popped up at the noise, and those expressive deep brown pools searched his face. Though still angry, she seemed concerned for him. Bix turned away, he had to. Every drop of blood in his body dive-bombed for his dick from just a glance of those beautiful eyes of hers. When the aroma of her luscious body stole to him from across the room, Bix was ever thankful for the leather trench denoting his Seeker status—it hid his bulging erection. Damn it, he’d been in hundreds of relationships over the years and here he was losing it over a woman’s eyes and the way she smelled? This was insane. Besides, Carin was off limits. She was a target whose sole purpose was to lead him to a rogue. End of story. He mentally kicked himself in the ass and got back to business.

“Who else has labs on this level?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Dr. Lee and Dr. Rene have labs across the hall. Dr. Sidheon’s labs are next to mine, right down the hall. Our four labs are more extensive than the others in the facility so we have the whole floor.”

Sidheon was right next door? Perfect. Exactly what he needed to know. Natasha had sent him a new lead this morning—Sidheon had been spotted at an address across town. Perhaps after he checked it out, he could track the rogue back here. In the meantime, he had an angry woman to deal with. A woman he happened to need if he was going to get close enough to Sidheon’s research to figure out what the rogue was up to.

Carin threw down her pen, pushed away from the desk and stalked across the floor. She buried her head in one of the file cabinets and started tearing through it. Bix walked up behind her and, with a gentle touch, laid his hands on her shoulders. The connection between them was instantaneous and powerful. Powerful enough to make his fingertips tingle with the need to touch while his head screamed at him to take a step back and do his duty. His head lost the battle.

“Come on, Carin,” he crooned as he leaned forward to whisper against the nape of her neck. “Don’t be mad at me, sweetheart. This is all out of my control.” Hell,
he
was out of control.

“Out of your control? Yeah, whatever,” she snapped, tearing the manila files out of the file drawers. “You’re here to do a job. Let’s just get it done so I can get back to work.” The words were pushed through gritted teeth as she snatched the last two folders out of the cabinet, slammed the drawer and turned to shove the files at him.

“Carin,” he called softly, taking the documents from her fingers and setting them down on the nearest lab table. “I didn’t send myself here, sweetheart, I promise.” Well, at least part of his explanation was true. “But I must admit, I am very glad to see you.” His fingers teased over her shoulders and down her arms with a gentle but firm grip.

The shield she’d unknowingly erected with her anger dropped like a stone. Her mind was bare to him now, wide open and exposed. His keen hearing caught the sudden intake of breath, heard the hitch in her throat and the sigh that followed as his hands moved over her skin. But it wasn’t her reaction he was gauging. It was his own.

Awareness like nothing he’d ever experienced shook him down to his black boots, assailed him and overloaded every one of his senses. This went well beyond the ability to scent a woman. He could smell the faint musk of her sweat as it made its way up through her pores. Could hear the oxygen in her lungs mix with the blood before it thumped through her heart and swirled through her body. He could smell her hair, her skin and the fragrant arousal just beginning to pool between her legs.

His fangs ached in response to the sweet blood pulsing underneath her skin. What the hell? He’d never smelled blood
under
skin before. God, he desperately wanted to taste her. Instead, he clamped down on his lips and chanted to himself,
No teeth, no teeth, Bix!

And stranger still was his ability to
feel
her confusion; it hung like a cloud over his head as Carin tried to puzzle out this thing between them. This attraction—was it just a squall of emotional lightning destined to fade away, or would she always be caught in the vortex of such a potent storm? She was baffled by her reaction to him, but one thing he knew for certain—she wanted him. Wanted to push him away. Wanted him to hold her closer.

“Carin, sweetheart.”

“Yes.”

Shit, she heard him?

“Of course I hear you. You’re speaking to me.”

But he hadn’t said a word. Not with his mouth anyway. His whole body stilled as his mind wrapped around the answer. It was crystal clear. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t figured it out the night he met her. Idiot. Carin was his mate. His woman. His damned
target
.

Wasn’t this a fine mess? He’d never be able to resist her allure, knowing she was meant for him, to bond with him. But the Council would have his balls if he took a target, an
assignment
, to his bed. Bloody fucking hell.

She gazed up at him, taking in his expressions, questioning. She didn’t understand this thing between them but when her plump lips parted invitingly he couldn’t resist a second longer.

Bix slowly lowered his head, taking in the look of wonder on her face as he eased in closer. He rubbed his lips against hers, enjoying the silky slide of skin on skin. It just made him want more. Damn, she smelled so good. Today, a light mist of vanilla and allspice overlaid her musky tones. He deepened the kiss until he was lost, drowning in the essence of Carin.

Her fingers tightened over the tense muscle of his forearm and the slide of the leather tantalized the skin underneath. There was nothing sweet about the way he took her mouth in the potent caress. No, this was hungry, desperate, and he was man enough to admit he needed it more than anything or anyone. He dug into the thick hair at the base of her skull, just barely able to keep from yanking the pins out of it so he could run his fingers through the cottony curls.

“Mmm, Bix, why do I like kissing you so much?”
Her thoughts projected into his head. Knowing how she felt turned him on until he was nothing more than a glowing ember in the fire of her sweet kisses. When his tongue touched hers, it was a melding of the mouths, a fusion of the senses. And she tasted damn good, just like his favorite fruity candy. He took her lips, her tongue, tried to steal her very breath. She gave back a roaring flame and all but consumed him, body and soul. He’d waited all his life to feel like this with a woman, but…

“Dr. Carin?”

Yaaaah! She jumped a mile out of her skin, frazzled and panting. At the first gasp of distress, Carin found herself sheltered behind Bix’s wide back. One of his strong arms pinned her hard against his body until her face was muffled between his shoulder blades. Tense and ready to spring, he stood between her and whoever had walked into her lab unannounced. The man was so still, the play of muscle on his back was the only movement.