Parallel Heat (35 page)

Thea glanced around the cell in a panic. ‘‘We don’t have time, Marco. There’s not time for any of this!’’ She sprang to her feet and rushed toward the door, peering out. ‘‘I can’t see anything out there.’’

Without moving, he was suddenly behind her, pinning her face-first against the door. ‘‘This won’t take long,’’ he promised in a low, rumbling voice, shoving his lean, hard body firmly against hers. She’d never escape him even if she wanted to; he was too big, too overpowering—not that she wished to budge from beneath his muscular body. What she wanted was to be taken by him, utterly and completely. Just not under these circumstances.

‘‘I may not know much about mating,’’ she argued, feeling his hands skim her hips and then trace up her spine, ‘‘but I know we can’t bond in your sleep. And we can’t bond with our enemies all around us!’’

‘‘Thea, what I’m talking about isn’t mating, not precisely,’’ he explained, stroking her hair away from the nape of her neck. ‘‘It’s near-mating. We’ll join our souls as completely as we can, here and now.’’

Struggling beneath his heavy form, she managed to spin to face him. Their noses pressing together, she panted, ‘‘That’s not enough. That won’t ever be enough for me.’’

‘‘For now. Only for now.’’

Her chest rose and fell, blood rushed in her ears. ‘‘We’ll be able to communicate this way, is that what you’re saying?’’

‘‘Across space and distance. We’ll be able to link this human base with our own compound. Pass intel to our camp. Plot our attack. We’ll have an open link between us when we need it.’’

She shook her head in disbelief. ‘‘That’s not possible for most
deeply
bonded mates,’’ she objected softly.

Slowly, he smiled at her, a strange, bittersweet expression. ‘‘But remember—I’m an empath. I’m not like other mates.’’

‘‘If we survive, what then?’’ she asked, clutching at him in desperation. This could never be enough, to only join souls and minds. She needed all that Marco McKinley had to give her—his heart, and his body. Near-mating would never be enough: She wanted him as lifemate.

‘‘If we make it out of this—I’ll return to camp and mate with you for life, Thea. That’s what I’m telling you.’’

She nodded, tears brimming in her eyes. ‘‘I’ve never wanted anything so much in my life, Marco.’’

‘‘There’s still the same risk to you, baby; that hasn’t changed. The same threat about my gift overtaking you—’’

She cut him off, burying her face against his chest. ‘‘But if we’re going to stop the Antousians,’’ she finished for him, ‘‘it’s our only choice.’’

 
Marco used his energy to probe within Thea, moving quickly. Unsentimentally. Kneeling in front of one another on the hard, cold floor of his cell, this was nothing like the bonding he’d fantasized about. Still, as he entered her spirit, an explosion of heat and light threatened to choke the very breath from his lungs. Her erratic mating energy was so overpowering, he wondered how he’d keep off of her, even with such high stakes pressing in all around them.

Palm to palm they touched, their hands trembling, their gazes never leaving one another. He could feel Thea’s apprehension in his gut; not that she didn’t want him, but that circumstances were forcing them to bond in such an unconventional way.

I wish I could see your natural self,
he purred within her mind as he pierced the veil separating their two spirits. Her soul showered a dazzling display of color across all of his senses, causing his whole body to tremble with need and yearning.

Soon,
she promised softly inside of him.
Very soon
.

At that precise moment, he felt her burrow within his own essence, her soul brushing like butterfly wings against his. Tentative at first, then increasing in its demand.

Their fingers threaded together, both of their bodies wracked with tremors. He wrestled to hold back some of his dark gift, to protect her from receiving his empathy, but the need to completely mate souls with her was becoming more than he could bear. He’d hoped to control what he imparted to her, but this needy crescendo, the insistent demand to mate, had proved too much. Between his legs, his erection swelled, an insistent, impossible need at the moment.
Must mate. Must!

‘‘Quickly, Thea, quickly,’’ he moaned. ‘‘Must . . . accomplish . . . quickly.’’

‘‘I know, I know,’’ she agreed breathlessly, arching her back as their souls began a tentative caress. Most natural for Refarians was to seal their bodies first, then join souls. Instead they had bypassed it all, laying themselves bare on this fiery plane of need and longing.

Marco bent his forehead against Thea’s. ‘‘I-I can’t hold back. I need this . . . now!’’ he roared, unleashing the full power of his empath’s soul upon her.

‘‘Ah! Ah!’’ she half cried and half moaned, over and over as their souls fused tightly together with one effortless gasp.

‘‘One,’’ he murmured, showering her face with kisses. ‘‘Finally . . . one!’’

Panting, they clung to each other, tears streaming down Thea’s face. Marco licked at her face, flicking away her tears with his warm tongue. He felt drunk off of her, off the sheer release of having her energy twined all inside him, wrapping around his heart and body and soul like loving arms.

They could have knelt that way, kissing and nuzzling and just feeling each other’s souls for hours, but duty pressed hard on both their minds. Slowly they disentangled from one another’s embrace, the warm hum of soulmating buzzing through their spirits. With a barely repressed moan Marco whispered, ‘‘This is only for now, baby. Only for now. Our true mating is yet to come.’’

It had satisfied his alien nature, but it hadn’t come close to sating his body. His swollen erection pulsed between his legs, reminding him of everything they’d yet to share. Only souls . . . not full bonding. Not true mating.

‘‘Come on,’’ Thea agreed, struggling unsteadily to her feet. ‘‘We both have work to do if we have a prayer of being together again. Truly together.’’

 
Thea awakened on the floor of the meeting room and discovered Kelsey bent over her in concern. ‘‘Are you all right?’’ her queen asked, touching her gently on the shoulder. Thea’s uniform was soaked through with sweat, her entire body atremble.

‘‘How long was I out?’’ she asked through chattering teeth.

‘‘Fifteen minutes,’’ Kelsey explained, pressing the back of her hand against her temple. ‘‘You’re burning up! What happened, Thea?’’

With a wordless groan Thea struggled to sit up, and Kelsey draped her own parka over Thea’s shoulders. ‘‘Here, pull this around you,’’ the human instructed. ‘‘You’re shaking.’’

Thea nodded obediently; her throat was parched, her body ablaze . . . and the entire terrain of her soul had been permanently altered. Dimly she could make out the interior of the meeting chamber; she and Kelsey were alone.

‘‘Where’s the commander?’’ Thea asked, tugging the parka tightly around her body. ‘‘Lieutenant Daniels? Sabrina?’’ Clearly much had happened during her time in the trance—and on both sides of the veil.

Thea tried to stand, but Kelsey grasped her by the shoulder, pushing her back down. ‘‘You need to sit a few minutes.’’

‘‘I
need
to get up to speed here—what transpired while I was out?’’

‘‘Thea, rest.’’ The woman’s tone was firm. ‘‘You’ve been through something immense, obviously. Your body temperature has altered, and your pulse rate is off the charts. Sit still.’’

Thea buried her face in her hands with a groan. ‘‘What are you now, a medic?’’

‘‘I’m a scientist. And I know enough about biology, human or otherwise, that you’re not going anywhere, at least not for a few minutes.’’

Thea nodded obediently. ‘‘Then fill me in.’’

‘‘An Antousian battle cruiser has taken position over Warren.’’

‘‘Have the humans fired on the ship?’’

Kelsey gave a curt nod. ‘‘Without effect.’’

Of course not, Thea thought. Stupid humans—they had no idea what kind of force they were up against.

Kelsey continued: ‘‘The Antousians have dropped in platoons of soldiers and have begun attacking the exterior buildings.’’

Thea’s head jerked up. ‘‘What about the underground facility?’’ She couldn’t disguise her panic. ‘‘That’s where Marco and Scott are.’’

‘‘I don’t know, Thea. But we’re launching our own counterstrike to stop them. Without the information you brought us about that other timeline, we’d be a lot further behind the curve on this.’’ A part of Thea wanted to bristle at her queen’s new-found authority, the sheer confidence in her words, but instead she felt comforted.

‘‘Let me . . . tell Marco,’’ Thea told her weakly.

‘‘I don’t think you should go back into that trance again,’’ Kelsey warned her.

Thea smiled, shaking her head wanly. ‘‘No, no . . . don’t have to.’’

Her queen’s auburn eyebrows shot upward in surprise. ‘‘Why not?’’ After all, Kelsey knew firsthand what a bond with a Refarian male could be.

‘‘I-I joined with him. We’re linked now—like you and Jared were at first,’’ she explained, feeling lightheaded and dizzy. ‘‘I can warn him; maybe he can tell the Air Force what those bastards have planned.’’

Kelsey smiled at her briefly, her eyes sparkling despite the situation. Yes, the woman knew precisely how intimate a bond could be—her feelings about her own lifemate were quite visible on her face.

Kelsey rose to her feet. ‘‘I’ll go tell Jared that we’ve linked with Marco, then. See if he has anything to transmit.’’

Thea glanced upward in panic. ‘‘Kelsey, please—don’t tell him. I mean, not what I just . . . told you.’’

‘‘I’ll come up with a good cover story. Don’t worry,’’ she said with a conspiratorial nod. ‘‘You can share the news when you’re ready.’’

Thea inclined her head with the full respect due her queen. ‘‘Thank you.’’

 
Hope didn’t dare move from her position of safety. The blasts had continued, some in the distance, some shocking her own barracks. It would be risky enough to leave protective cover if she were fully sighted. As it was, she could only cower in the bathtub and hope that the ceiling wouldn’t cave in. The acrid smell of explosives and crumbling architecture filled her nostrils; her eyes burned, though she had no idea what was causing them to tear up. Maybe some sort of noxious gas.

Covering her head, she bent face-first against the bottom of the tub, wondering if she’d make it out of this early morning attack alive. The Antousians had come, just as Scott Dillon had warned. Or
was
this the doing of the Antousians? Perhaps it was the Refarians themselves. Perhaps the lieutenant had been playing her all along.

But what about my dream?
She thought, half recalling the images she’d seen of an Earth destroyed by their mutual enemies.
I can trust Dillon. I’m certain.

She just prayed that someone, somewhere in the chain of command, had heard his warnings.

 
A buzzer sounded and the door to Scott Dillon’s cell opened. The colonel entered, flanked by several security guards, and he gestured for the soldiers to release Scott from his manacles. They’d fed him last night, a decent meal, but Scott’s belly was stone-empty once again. With expectant eyes, he searched for any sign of more food, but judging by the expression on the officer’s face, he wouldn’t be eating again anytime soon.

‘‘Over here,’’ the colonel instructed gruffly, indicating the table where he’d been repeatedly interrogated. ‘‘And bring the other one in now too.’’

Scott’s ears pricked up. Was it the soldier Hope had mentioned?

The colonel dropped into the chair like a leaden weight and began: ‘‘I need to know everything about this attack, son. Who’s behind it, how you plotted it. Everything. Otherwise you’ll be executed later today.’’

Scott shook his head numbly. ‘‘What attack?’’ he asked in plain English.

‘‘Don’t take me for a fool, Lieutenant. You’ve known what was coming all along—it’s why your people have been doing the aerial missions, testing the borders.’’

‘‘Is the base under attack now?’’ Scott questioned directly, not skirting the issue.

‘‘I’m asking the questions here,’’ the other man barked.

‘‘I’ve told you repeatedly who your enemies are—I’ve offered information and to help. If you’re under attack, it’s too late and there’s not a damned thing I can do to help you now.
Sir
.’’

‘‘Tell me again. Tell me like I’ve never heard it all before. Lay it out for me,’’ the colonel snapped impatiently.

‘‘We’re Refarian—not Antousian. We’re here to protect you,’’ Scott said. ‘‘It is our only reason for being here on Earth. We are not your aggressors. We’re your protectors.’’

The colonel leaned back in his chair studying him. ‘‘Funny,’cause that’s exactly what the other one said.’’ Without wavering his gaze from Scott’s face, the officer hit the intercom. ‘‘I said to get the other subject in here—now!’’

As if on cue, the door buzzed and several security officers wrangled Marco McKinley into the room. Scott refused to allow surprise to register in his eyes, although internally he was extremely grateful to see the Madjin.

‘‘At the table,’’ the colonel ordered the soldiers. ‘‘Right here.’’

Marco was shoved down into the seat between them. He kept his gaze trained on the scuffed wooden surface of the table.

‘‘Look, Dillon, I want to believe you—I really do. But your DNA is different from this one’s.’’ The colonel gestured toward Marco. ‘‘His isn’t human. Close, but not a match. Your DNA, however, is fully human. I need to understand why there’s that kind of discrepancy. We’re tending to think one of you’s Refarian and the other’s Antousian. So which is it?’’

Scott took the lead. ‘‘I’m a Refarian sympathizer.’’

‘‘I see.’’ The colonel seemed unconvinced.

‘‘Is the base under attack or not?’’ Scott blurted. ‘‘Because if so, we’re wasting precious time here. Time we won’t get back. I’ll tell you everything about my DNA map once we mount some kind of plan.’’