Ghost in Her Heart (12 page)

Vana didn’t say a word, just sat up and
crawled into his lap, burrowing as close as humanly possible. By
her ragged breathing, the tale had upset her more than he’d thought
it would. Feeling awkward, for he’d never been in this position, he
stroked her back. A look sent their little chaperones scampering
off with the remains of their picnic.

Sunset began as Dagon slowly kissed her,
lowering them both to the blanket. Rules of chastity no longer
mattered to him, not when she was hurting, and he had the perfect
way to comfort them both. Already primed by his kisses, she
accepted the further pleasure he offered willingly, moaning as he
unclipped her vest and cupped her breasts. He was gentle, but it
only seemed to inflame her more. Undulating beneath him, she closed
her eyes and twined her fingers in his hair, silently begging for
more.

Yet as he pinned her there, softly exploring
what she so eagerly offered, his religious training kicked in. He
wanted, but couldn’t take, not without a public declaration. It was
a protection for her and a point of honor for him, and he found he
wanted the public ceremony, wanted the world to know that she was
his forever.

Even so, he was no saint. She was naked and
willing, and never had he felt such softness as her sweetly peaked
breasts beneath his hands. A little squeeze, and she gasped.
Pinching her nipples made her moan and thrash beneath him. The
touch of his tongue caused her to cry out and grip his hair, urging
him on.

Regretfully, he realized he’d better stop
before there was no stopping. It was certain she didn’t have the
will to try. For a moment he pillowed his head on the softness of
her breast, promising himself that he had only this last night to
wait. She’d thank him….

Vana squirmed beneath him. “What’s the
matter? Why did you stop?”

Grunting in annoyance, he sat up and reached
for the clasps of her vest. “I was trying to be honorable.”

He got a dirty look for his trouble. Vana
slapped his hands away and fastened her vest with hands that shook.
“It’s rude to tease a girl, Dagon.”

Out of patience with her and feeling frisky,
he grabbed her and rolled over and over in the grass until they
were next to the pool. He ended up on top, pinning her down as he
slid his thigh between her own. “You want this?” he asked
dangerously, giving her a little of his weight.

“Ohh…” It seemed she did.

“Then marry me tomorrow and you’ll get it all
night.” Before the thought could inflame him further, he rolled
them both into the pool.

Vana shrieked as she struggled upright in the
cool water, slinging it from her as she gasped for air. “You jerk!”
She shoved him, sending him sprawling in the shallow water.

Dagon laughed and got back up. “You were
getting a little overheated.”

“Me!”

“Well, I wasn’t the one moaning,” he said
unchivalrously, trying not to grin. When had he last felt so
happy?

“Argh!” She grabbed the towel and stomped
off, trailing water all the way.

“Now that was quite a sight,” Kynan said as
he stepped from the shadow of the trees. “Don’t worry, I was only
here a minute. You won’t have to kill me.”

Dagon didn’t ask why Kynan felt the need to
say as much. It must have been obvious what they’d been up to.
“Switching chaperonage with the boys?” It was the kind of thing a
friend would do.

“As night fell and they returned from the
garden looking solemn, it seemed the thing to do,” Kynan agreed. He
looked over Dagon’s head and tapped his fingers on his thigh. “Do
you require an apology for this morning, or should I consider it
all in the line of duty?” He met Dagon’s gaze. “I did not enjoy
hurting her, even for you.”

“For the counsel, you mean.”

“You know I’ve never minded them. It’s the
reason I refused to fight to be Tzar. Who wants to deal with a pack
of bitter old women?” His gaze silently asked if all was right
between them.

After a tense moment, Dagon nodded. Kynan was
a consummate actor, which was why he’d been chosen for the job, but
he was not cruel by nature. What he’d done, he’d done for Dagon,
and maybe, for Vana. Time would tell.

Relaxing back into his careless persona,
Kynan asked, “So, does this mean that I get to help man your
wedding booth?”

Dagon laughed and slapped him on the back.
“Only if you promise to bet on me. I mean to break Ser’s
record.”

“You always were a competitive one.” Kynan
winked. “But I think I will remove myself from your lady’s sight
until tomorrow—she’s wroth with me just now. Besides, I’ve yet see
the Earth collection point, and thought I’d take a look. None of
the women here seem promising.”

Dagon raised a brow. “Out of a thousand
woman, with more added daily, you haven’t found one to interest
you? Perhaps you should spend more time with them. Surely there’s
at least one in there to suit you. You do have seniority.”

Kynan shook his head. “Not in that bunch. I
know what I’m looking for. Five minutes with the right woman, and
I’ll know.”

**

Kelsa Gram slammed her palms down on the
reception desk and leaned forward, pinning the man behind it with a
hard stare. “Listen up, desk jockey! My friend Vana has been here
for weeks now, and not one phone call. Even prisoners get that
much. I will see her, and I will see her now, or I’ll come back
with a lawyer and slam your little cult. Do we have an
understanding?” She was fighting mad. She’s been suspicious of the
academy thing from the first, and research hadn’t reassured her.
Maybe she ought to have brought backup, and that was plan B. If
these guys didn’t let her see Vana, then she was bringing down the
big guns, because she was very afraid that something bad had
happened to her friend.

Just so the stony faced jerk behind the
counter didn’t think she was easy prey, she added, “And you’d
better hurry up. I told my brother that I was meeting him for
lunch, and he’ll come looking for me it I don’t show. He’s a
senator, you know.” He wasn’t, nor did her brother care what
happened to her. He was usually too high to even find his own butt,
at least when he wasn’t in prison. But this schmuck didn’t have to
know that.

“Is there a problem, Alsike?”

Kelsa turned to blast the intruder and forgot
to speak. Whoa! She hadn’t seen anything that good looking since
Highlander. In his late thirties, dark haired and sharp-eyed with
intelligence, his sharply angled face was cut just the way she
liked it—manly, without a trace of pretty boy in it.

Jaded, she wondered which of his body parts
was pieced, branded, tattooed or otherwise mauled. Or, God forbid,
maybe he had a boyfriend. Luck had never been with her when it came
to men. Her first boyfriend had been kinky, and she hadn’t realized
it until they’d been in bed, about to pop her cherry, and she’d
finally admitted her virginity. He’d gotten all excited and wanted
to tie her up and spank her to “do it right”.

She shuddered at the memory.

Worse, the second time she’d actually made it
with a car salesman—hey, at least he’d had a steady job. He’d
casually rolled out of bed afterwards and walked off like she’d
been a cheap trick. Even worse, the sex hadn’t been anything to get
excited about, even before the hurting part. Looking back, she
couldn’t believe that she’d been so anxious to be like the rest of
the popular pack that she’d wasted herself on a guy who couldn’t
care less. No pleasure—if there was any to be had—was worth that.
Let the guys think she was frigid. It would really take a burning
passion before she’d be willing to risk being humiliated again.

There was also that soft, hidden part of her
that hoped for a little bit more.

She’d really hoped that Vana would break the
streak of bad luck for both of them. Speaking of which….

Kelsa gave the suspected pervert her coldest
look. “I’m here to see my friend Vana Clue, and I’m not backing
down until I do.”

A slight smile lingered at his mouth as his
midnight blue eyes took her measure. “I see. Did you plan to do a
room-by-room search? I warn you, the men’s showers might be a
little more than you can handle.” He spoke with an odd accent,
something she’d never heard before.

Incensed, she glanced down him, looking for a
nametag. Surprisingly, he wasn’t even dressed in the military
outfits of the other men on the grounds and in the building.
Instead he wore a studded brown vest with a Chinese collar, brown
leather pants with panels of dark leather, laces up the calf and
decorative metal studs. Matching brown boots, also inset with
metal, completed the outfit. On his left hand was a metal cuff,
which he glanced at, his eyes moving as if he were reading
something.

Before she could blast him, he glanced at the
desk clerk. “You ran her identification through the system?”

The clerk nodded. “She is unencumbered. Would
you like to give her the tour?”

The note of spitefulness in the clerk’s tone
made Kelsa’s hackles rise. This was not good. “Maybe I’ll just come
back with my brother.” And about a zillion cops. She spun on her
heels and took three quick steps.

A large hand clamped down on her shoulder.
“Smart, Miss Gram, but far too late. I’m afraid I’m going to have
to take you to see your friend after all.”

**

Kelsa woke in an unfamiliar pair of arms.
Slightly woozy, she struggled, using her elbows to make her wishes
known. Obligingly, her carrier set her down, holding her shoulders
as she wobbled.

They were in some sort of science lab. An
army of technicians swarmed over the machinery, and beyond
them—

Kelsa stiffened and stared. A good dozen
beast-headed soldiers, all armed, ringed the room. “Have I dropped
into the middle of Stargate, or is this the kimchee coming back to
haunt me?” she whispered.

“Are you talking about that gate?” The man
behind her turned her around. She almost fell. Before her was a
glowing blue gate pulsing with light. Full of dread, she slowly
glanced over her shoulder, staring at the man in brown leather. She
moved her lips, but no words came out.

He sent her a cocky smile, loaded with
amusement. “Congratulations, you’re on another planet. Yes, your
friend is here, and yes, I’ll take you to her. Though….” His eyes
swept over her. “Maybe we’ll take a little detour first.”

“Try it, buddy, and I’ll rip it off. I’m no
quivering virgin to be scared out of my mind by the thought of
unpleasant sex.” That was a lie, but she got mouthier the more
afraid she became. It made her burn that he would threaten her, but
hey, whatever he planned couldn’t be worse than Harry, the car
salesman, had put her through. It made her angry to be proved
right—he was just another jerk after all.

“I won’t hold it against you,” he said
smoothly, crossing his arms. “At least I know you like it.”

“That’s debatable,” she snapped, risking a
quick glance at the doorway. Maybe….

“I’m afraid not.” He took her arm again,
guiding her unwilling self toward the steel stairs. “How about I
deposit you someplace comfortable, then go tell your friend you’re
here? I’m sure she’ll be glad to see you. By the way, I’m
Kynan.”

“Conan? How appropriate. You look like a
barbarian to me.” Apparently even shock had no effect on her smart
mouth.

They were halfway up the stairs when another
man ran up to the base, calling, “Wait! Honored Kynan, we can’t let
her out of here without an exam.”

Kynan considered her. “Do you have any
diseases we should know about, little bird?”

“Terminal PMS,” she shot back, disliking the
nickname.

Brows raised, he considered her a moment,
then reversed his direction. “I hope it’s curable. I’d hate to send
you back.” He tweaked one of her short blond curls.

She hit him.

The perpetual amusement faded from him. A
predator looked out through his eyes. “Careful, small one. I’m a
pleasant man, but I do not tolerate being struck.”

Reminded that he was bigger, and by the look
in his eye, meaner, than she’d ever hope to be, she subsided. Her
rebellious tongue couldn’t resist a parting shot, though. “I don’t
take well to captivity, and I hate having my hair pulled.”

“Tugged,” he corrected, “and I’ll make you a
deal. You may retaliate—in kind. If I tug your hair, you may tug
mine. If you can reach it.” He smirked, for her head hit him at his
chest. He had to be at least 6”4. Without waiting for her reply, he
took her arm and led her into a room off the main chamber.

A solemn technician greeted them and gestured
for Kelsa to have a seat on an examining table. She balked.

Kynan picked her up and deposited her rump on
top.

Intimidated despite herself, she divided her
suspicious glare between her tormenter and the technician, who
waved a scanner thing in her direction.

He checked the readout, his brows knit
together. “Well, she’s not pure, but according to this, she can’t
have mated more than once or twice.”

Her jaw dropped. “How dare you! That’s
nobody’s business!”

Ignoring her as if she were all of three
years old, the man went on, “Still, I can’t take responsibility for
this.” He looked at Kynan hopefully. “We could always do a mind
wipe and send her back.”

There was a little gasp of horror from the
patient.

Kynan sent her a look of amusement tinged
with compassion. “Let’s not. No telling what the drugs would do to
an alien. I’ll assume responsibility for her. Any other
concerns?”

The medic shrugged and made some notes.
“She’s healthy. If you’ll just sign here, you can be on your
way.”

Made mute by embarrassment, Kelsa allowed
herself to be fast-walked from the examining room. This place was
barbaric! What would they do next, strip her naked and set her up
for auction?