Torkel's Chosen (18 page)

“I curled into a
tight ball, crying and wishing they’d find me. When they got home and heard my
voice, my mother unlocked the door and pulled me into her arms. It felt like it
took forever for them to save me, Torkel.”

Tension coiled tightly
around his muscles and his stroking hands paused. He didn’t want to hear any
more. Then her next words devastated him.

“Being held by the
Marenians reminded me of my greatest fear. Brought it all back. You took forever
to save me.”

Torkel swallowed
past the thick lump in his throat. He buried his face in her hair and made two
silent vows.

Never would he
fail to look for her.

Never would she
doubt his love again.

Torkel wouldn’t
stop until the Marenians were forced back to their world and innocent women and
men were no longer snatched from the people who loved them.

Chapter 26

“Nothing,” Jaron
snapped, throwing the reports down on the table.

Torkel rubbed the
back of his neck and paced. Only his team leaders were present for the meeting
he’d called. Faruk, Jaron and Rydak had gone over everything and none of them
were any closer to figuring out the identity of the traitor. Faye’s involvement
cleared up where the leak had come from on their side but that was a minor piece
in the huge mess that was growing bigger than any of them had expected.

“What are we
missing?” Torkel asked the room.

Faruk sat slouched
in the chair, tapping a lone finger on the edge of the table. His white-blond
hair stuck up in places, giving his stern features a comical cast. Jaron sat
opposite of him with a stack of printed mission reports and names of potential
suspects. Only Rydak appeared calm, though his look could often be deceiving.
Rydak had mastered the art of hiding his emotions when necessary better than
anyone Torkel knew.

“I think we need
to regroup in the morning with the others. Clear our heads,” Faruk suggested.

Staring at the
walls and fighting rising frustration didn’t help. He wanted to hold Faye and
revel in having her back. “Let’s call it a night. Faruk’s right.”

They departed at
the door. Jaron stayed behind to speak with Torkel. Neither man got the chance
as Arak arrived from the stairway and headed toward them with determined
strides. The half-Enotian, half-Argoran did not look pleased.

“What’s wrong,
Arak?”

Arak growled,
flashing a hint of fangs. “The men are talking. Is it true that you and the
team leads suspect us? Has the Commander asked you to look into our
backgrounds?”

He leaned forward
inches from touching Torkel. Blue eyes that generally reflected good humor
darkened to navy as they glared at him. Jaron’s gaze burned as he too stared at
Torkel.

True the Commander
had asked Torkel to go through the files on each member of his teams under the
Unit but he had no intentions of doing so. “I trust all of you, Arak and unless
someone proves otherwise, I will continue to trust all of the men I hand
selected.”

Arak’s aggressive
stance eased slightly. “What about your Chosen? She’s no longer in detainment.”
Arak hesitated and buried his hands in his pants pockets. “Are you turning her
over to the Enotian government to deal with?”

Torkel’s blood
boiled at the thought. “No. I’ll handle Faye. My Chosen isn’t going anywhere.”

The truth was,
Torkel had already spoken with the Commander of the Jutaks and the man promised
to speak to the governing council on Faye’s behalf in light of the
circumstances.

A relieved smile
creased Arak’s face as he relaxed further. “Good. I like Faye. She’s perfect for
you.”

Torkel nodded and
grunted. “She is.”

Beeping sounded
from the room behind them. Jaron jerked, looking behind them then his head spun
in Torkel’s direction, gaze wide.

Horror filtered
through Torkel. Not possible. Impending doom beat against his nerves. “What is
it, Jaron?”

“Alarm,” his friend
snapped, hustling back into the room.

Arak and Torkel
followed. His fingers twitched and Torkel had to repress the desire to contact
Faye. “Which alarm, Jaron! Is it Faye?”

He waited for the
denial. Torkel realized the uselessness of hoping and praying when Jaron
glanced up from the monitors. Torkel read the answer on Jaron’s face.

His stomach heaved
and Torkel hit the door at a run.

“Wait, Torkel! We
need coverage.”

Torkel ignored the
shouted plea. This was his Chosen. A woman he’d already failed in the past. Not
this time.

“Torkel, I’m with
you.” Arak’s snarled, running down the hall with him.

Another curse and
he knew Jaron had joined them, murmuring direction in the comms they all wore.

“I’m tired of
this,” Torkel declared once he reached the top of the stairs and the floor to
his quarters as he surged forward.

He didn’t want to
lose her. He’d just found his way to forgive her. When would these bastards
quit? Alarms pierced the night and adrenaline coursed through Torkel’s body. “I
won’t be late. Trust me, Faye. Trust me to come for you this time,” he murmured,
ignoring Arak and Jaron’s intense stares.

Torkel dug deep
and pulled on everything in him. His Marenian side that he always denied roared
forward. His arms and chest swelled. Power rammed through his legs as his calf
muscles exploded into massive knots aiding him in his bid for speed.

Torkel
outdistanced them, even Arak and his animal reflexes. Faye’s screams spurred
him on. “No!!!” Torkel roared. Not this time. No one would ever take her from
him again. He burst through his front door with a hard shoulder thrust and drew
to a halt.

“Finally, you join
us.”

Torkel’s head
snapped up in horror to see Faye being held by a man standing at his bedroom
door. The dark-clad figure swung Faye in front of him and slammed his arm
around her throat. Faye screamed again as the man hefted her up against his
frame and laid the jagged edge of his blade to the delicate column of her neck.

“Stay back.” The
words were low and muffled from the black masked figure.

Torkel stayed.
Faye’s choked breaths sent arrows of rage through him. If she so much as
twitched wrong, the knife could cut into her tender flesh. “Be careful. She’s
no good to you dead.”

“You don’t give
orders here.”

 He tried to track
the voice but fear for Faye overruled any rational thought. The man inched
backward, dragging her with him. Faye’s feet kicked and squirmed about his
legs.

“Faye, stop,” Torkel
cautioned.

One slip. One slip
and his world would end right in front of his eyes. Adrenaline slammed into him
without an outlet.

“You need to learn
your place, Jutak.”

“My place is
defending those in need.”

Torkel wanted to
draw his weapon but if he reached behind his waist, he might escalate the
situation. Arak and Jaron eased in behind him, both out of breath from trying
to keep up with him. Torkel didn’t spare them a glance, his attention
completely on the man holding Faye and the deadly knife at her throat.

‘Faruk’s coming
from the outside,’
Kyele murmured through the comms they all wore.

“You ruined everything,”
the man raged. “You and your…”

Torkel locked on
the muffled voice. The identity hit him. “Axan?”

“Screw you,
Torkel!” Axan yelled.

He’d kill him.
Because of Axan’s obsession, Faye had been taken away from him. Suffered
nightmares that might never heal. The curtains in his living room shifted by the
balcony. Faruk climbed over the railing, weapon shoulder high and had the
demented man in his laser sights.

Torkel needed to
keep Axan distracted. Only one chance for this to end without blood shed. “Axan,
you can petition for leniency.”

Maniacal laughter.
“On what grounds? Lunacy? There’s nothing wrong with me. My papan will never
forgive the shame I’ve brought him.”

“Faye is innocent.
She has nothing to do with this.” Torkel inched closer. He risked a glance at
Faye, worry gnawing at his insides.

“She chose you,”
Axan spat and ripped the mask from his face while keeping Faye angled in front
of him. “If she hadn’t chosen you, none of this would have happened.”

Torkel kept his
hands out to his side. Faye wasn’t crying. She smiled at Torkel and trust
blazed from her brown eyes. He almost lost it then but Torkel forced himself to
focus on Axan. “Every woman has the right to choose. Last chance, Axan. Let
Faye go. I can’t let you take her.”

“Maybe I should tell
you who else hates you, Marenian.” Axan quirked a brow. “Which would you
prefer, Jutak? The traitor or your Chosen?”

“Faye.” Torkel
didn’t have to think about it. He would always choose Faye.

“But it would be better
to watch you suffer.” Axan pulled his arm holding the knife back. Raised it
high with the intent to slash Faye’s throat in front of him.

Torkel yelled,
“Now!”

Axan’s head turned
to see who was behind him.

Faruk took the
shot and a bead of blood appeared at the center of Axan’s head as he keeled
over. Torkel launched across the room and snatched Faye into his arms, his face
in her neck as he held her tight.

“Thank the gods.”
The breath shuddered from him. She was mumbling something against his chest,
her hold on him absolute. Torkel worked to settle his heart rate back to
normal. He leaned back. “What is it, Faye?”

“I never meant to cause
all of this, Torkel.”

At the pain
echoing in her voice, grief struck him. “No more apologies between us. I
forgive you. I love you, Faye.”

She sniffed back
tears. “I love you, Torkel.”

Arak and Jaron
rushed forward.

“Dead,” Jaron
confirmed, one hand on Axan’s throat.

Torkel couldn’t
find it in him to care. Faruk entered slowly, removing the rappelling equipment.
Torkel met his gaze and nodded his thanks.

“This doesn’t help
us figure out who he worked with,” Arak declared.

Faye stiffened in
his arms.

“Not you,” Torkel
said softly in her ear as he rose to his feet.

Faye leaned into
him, her arms firm around his waist.

“How did this
happen, Jaron? I thought you increased security after the last time.”

How was Faye to
trust him? Feel safe?

Jaron rose and
pressed buttons on his handheld before meeting his stare. “He used his father’s
login and password to hack access to the building.”

Not good enough.
“Change everything. Tonight.”

“On it.”

“I’ll contact the
Commander. He’ll need to know about this latest attempt. Axan worked with
someone close to the teams. This person is connected somehow to the person who
set Faye up.” Torkel would find them.

Epilogue

Faye washed her
face and dried it on a towel. She turned out the light in the cleansing room,
wanting nothing more than to join Torkel in bed. His Commander and a group of
men who made up the governing council for Jutaks had questioned her for hours
the night before via vid conferencing on the communicator. They agreed on her
innocence and dismissed potential charges. Through it all Torkel had remained
by her side. When at last they seemed satisfied she had nothing else to share,
Torkel had bundled her off to their place and made love to her sweetly. Softly.

Her mouth lifted
in a smile as she remembered. Faye entered the dim bedroom and her brow
creased. The bed was empty, sheets rumpled from where he’d been resting moments
before. “Torkel?”

“I hope you find
my dance as pleasing as I found yours.”

Faye froze. Torkel
stood in the middle of the room watching her with brown eyes that sent desire
shooting through her core.

“This music is
appropriate for…stripping. I hope.”

The heavy beat of
drums filled the room. Faye’s pulse skipped when she put two and two together. Her
trembling fingers flew to her mouth to hold back her cry. Torkel had his arms
above his head, hands clasped together behind his head. The submissive pose
deceptive.

This man before
her was dominant. In control. Tears burned her throat as she took in his dress.
Or lack of. He wore his black leather loitte and nothing else. His skin glistened
with oil.

“The tradition of
the presentation was for a male to prove his worth to a female.”

Faye’s breath
caught as he spoke and moved his hands through his hair then down his chest
with agonizing slowness.

“His body was
oiled to make him more appealing to her,” he continued. Large palms smoothed
down his torso as the muscles undulated and rippled with his movements.

Faye swallowed,
her heart falling in sync with the hard hitting drums.

“The loitte
allowed her to see what he offered without the mystery of clothing to hide his
body.”

Those stroking
hands inched the bottom of the leather up.

Up.

Up.

Up.

He wore nothing
underneath and the full jut of his shaft brushed his roaming hand.

“Have mercy,” Faye
moaned, stepping closer.

“A woman had to
make a life long decision based on what he showed her in those few seconds.”

He wrapped one
hand around the base of his length and dragged it up to the tip. The other hand
held his loitte out of the way for her to see. Watch.

“Was he strong
enough?” Torkel squeeze the tip. His neck arched back on a gasp as he hit the
sensitive rings.

“Was he hard
enough?” He lowered his head and met Faye’s gaze.

Faye was wet. Wet
and close to orgasm. She didn’t realize a person could be turned on with words
alone.

“Would she choose
him?”

Faye forced
herself to walk not run toward him. Her hand reached out and covered his. “I
choose you, Torkel Alonson. Always.”

He smiled and
placed a whisper-soft kiss on her mouth. “I accept, Faith Reid. Always.”

Then he stepped
back and continued his erotic rubbing. Faye moaned low in her throat.

“I don’t think my
dancing can match yours but when I have you in that bed, I promise I will move
my body over yours in ways you can’t imagine, Faye.” He bit his bottom lip and
sucked on the full flesh as his hand pumped his erection once more before going
to the clasps on the side of his loitte.

Torkel started
from the bottom. The drums changed. Slowed its beat to pulse in time to his
actions. He unbuckled the first one and the silver loosened, creating a split
in the leather. A split that revealed more of his firm thighs.

Ba-boom.

Another buckle,
his fingers slow as his thumb brushed over the clasp.

Ba-boom.

“You’re killing
me, Torkel.” Faye squeezed her legs together, afraid the moisture would leak
right down her thighs.

His lids lowered
as he tipped his head to the side and licked his lips. “Not yet, Faye. I
haven’t begun to show you what I have in store for you.”

Ba-boom
.
Ba-boom.
Ba-boom
.

Another buckle.
The only thing keeping him from being completely bare was one lousy silver
clasp. His hand paused. Faye waited with baited breath. The drums rose to a
huge crescendo then silence reined. The clasp released and his loitte fell to
the floor.

“Oh, my,” she
mumbled.

Torkel approached
steadily and lifted her into his arms. He laid Faye on their bed and hovered
over her. “Ready?”

Ready? A thin sigh
escaped. There was so much more to the man she’d met on the sands. This rougher
version had a drugging effect on her senses. Faye closed her eyes, willing to
spiral away on the vortex of pleasure he created.

“Open your eyes,
Faye.”

Her lids
fluttered.

“Watch. Know who’s
taking you.”

Heat surged in her
middle as he slowly thrust into her moist entrance. Every inch, every ring
bumped against her sensitive nerve endings leaving fire in its wake. Faye
balanced her hands on his shoulders, unable to look away.

Torkel eased back
and slid forward. Slow. So slow she moaned and cursed at the same time. His throaty
chuckle teased as he repeated the move. He knew what he did to her.

“You’re hard. So deep.”
She could feel him all the way in her soul. Deep in her heart this man was a
part of her.

“You’re soft. So
tight.”

Back and forth he
rocked, their gazes never breaking. Soon her breath came in short pants. Her
mouth parted and Torkel took the opportunity to lean down to slide his tongue
along hers. With patient licks and gentle nibbles, he made love to her mouth in
the same manner he loved her body.

Her release when
it arrived rolled over her in a gentle wave. Faye closed her eyes and arched up
with a sharp cry. Torkel gripped her hips tight and pumped twice more before
groaning and falling to the side of her.

***

“I love you,
Chosen.”

Faye yawned.

Not the response
he’d expected. Torkel grinned. “Have I tired you out with my stripping?”

Her blush delighted
him. “Have I mentioned I love you, Torkel?”

“Yes.” Torkel
pulled the sheets up over them and lay back on the bed. He enjoyed sex sharing
with his Chosen but enjoyed the quiet time between them when their bodies
curled into one another more. He also admitted there had been something special
about this time. As a result his heart and soul were forever connected with
her.

 “Any word on
Lindsey?”

Torkel folded his
arms around Faye and arranged her in front of him. “I’m sorry. Team Two raided
Tulu, the mining colony, but she never arrived. The trail is cold.”

She shivered in
his arms and Torkel knew how hard she struggled to accept her part in her
friends continued disappearance. “You’re not to blame,” he whispered in her ear
pressing her closer to his chest. His heart.

“She tried to hold
on. I promised her you’d rescue us.”

Her faith in him astounded
him. Wanting to erase the anguish in her brown gaze, he promised, “I’ll find
her.”

Faye leaned back.
“Do you know her husbands?”

Torkel nodded.
He’d met the two senators a few times.

“Can you get them
a message? Let them know how strong Lindsey is. If anyone could survive it’s
her.”

“I’ll contact them
personally.”

She nodded and
rested her head back on his chest. Torkel ran his hands down her back in a
soothing motion. His Chosen. His heart.