Unique Ink (Shadow Assassins Book 5) (16 page)

More than ready to escape reality, she pulled his face down to hers and let her troubled thoughts just fade away. Elias was here now, warm and commanding, and she needed to be overwhelmed by pleasure rather than uncertainty. She opened to the first touch of his tongue as desire curled through her body.

He worked her nipples into hard little peaks as his tongue explored her mouth. She returned the kiss without hesitation, her tongue stroking just as boldly. She touched his shoulder and chest then squeezed his arm, unable to reach more of his hard body.

Emotion surged to the surface with staggering intensity. She needed more than these teasing touches. She needed him over her, inside her, driving reality away with each forceful thrust. A whimper slipped out between their sliding lips and she murmured. “More. Please.”

He eased one of his legs between her thighs then pulled her up onto her side, pressing their bodies together from neck to knee. His fingers tangle in her hair and his free hand grabbed her ass, sliding her up his thigh then back down. Understanding what he had in mind, she began to rock her hips. Her mound pressed against him and slid over him, creating friction against her clit. She groaned and moved faster, pressing harder.

Their kiss turned desperate as tension gathered low in her belly. He held her head steady as her body arched and churned against his. Despite the need pulsing inside her, she became aware of his stillness, his complete focus on her pleasure.

She tried to reach down between them, but he caught her wrist and moved it away from his crotch. She tore their mouths apart. “I don’t want to do this alone.”

“You’re
not
alone.” His tone was harsh, his features tense. “Let me do this for you. I need you to trust me with your pleasure.” His hand returned to her butt, squeezing firmly as he urged her back into the rocking motion. She closed her eyes, prepared to concentrate on the friction. “No. Look at me. Share this with me. Trust me.”

The last phrase morphed from a plea into a silken command. She shifted her hips, searching for the angle that created the most sensation. The flecks in his eyes gleamed like polished gold, bright and mesmerizing.

Pleasure intensified with each rotation. His mouth returned to hers, his tongue taking on the rhythm of her hips. She felt suspended above the bed as if her mind were separate from the feelings pulsing through her body. Close. She was so damn close.

His long fingers pushed between her thighs, teasing her folds from behind. He wasn’t even touching her clit, but it didn’t seem to matter. Her core clenched hard, grasping a fullness that wasn’t there. Then everything flew apart, propelled from deep inside her.

She cried out against his mouth, shuddering as spasm after powerful spasm tore through her. His mouth slowed and gentled as she flowed through the pleasure and gradually returned to reality.

She couldn’t remember closing her eyes, but her lids felt heavy as she raised them. He rolled her onto her back and urged her legs apart then knelt between her thighs. She stared up at him in stunned confusion. Why did he look so…hungry?

He found both her wrists and pulled her arms above her head. She just watched him, still tingly and relaxed from her amazing orgasm.

“Don’t move your hands.”

She was so sleepy she could hardly move at all, so she didn’t argue. He caressed his way down the underside of her upraised arms then peppered kisses over her features. His lips teased hers then moved on before she could deepen the kiss.

“What are you doing?” She began to squirm as he nipped his way down the side of her neck. “I’m not sure how you could have missed it, but I just came really hard. Now it’s your turn.”

He lifted his head and grinned at her. “I’m not finished with you yet.”

Excitement tingled down her spine at his uncompromising tone. “Is that so?”

He palmed the underside of her breast and sucked hard on her nipple. “You’re going to come for me again.” He switched to the other side. “And again.” His gaze bore into hers with possessive passion as his hand skimmed over her abdomen and pushed between her thighs. “And again.”

* * * * *

Morgan dragged her gaze away from yet another useless report and rubbed her eyes. There hadn’t been any new information from any of her sources for weeks and she’d been building her network of contacts for almost a decade. Roxie really was their only hope and she was innocent of any wrong doing. Collateral damage was almost unavoidable in a situation this complex, but that didn’t make the potential sacrifice any easier.

Someone knocked on her office door, drawing her attention away from her laptop, and her troubled thoughts. “It’s open.” She quickly closed the report. It was a semi-paranoid habit, but so much of what she dealt with was classified. She couldn’t afford to let her guard down for even an instant. Too many lives were counting on her.

Lor eased the door inward but didn’t actually enter her domain. She still wasn’t sure if it was politeness or intimidation that kept his manner so formal. He had no reason to feel threatened by her. He had powers at his command that she could barely understand, much less hope to emulate. “Have you spoken with Elias since I scanned Roxie?”

“No.” She pushed back from her desk and stood. If he wouldn’t come to her, she’d go to him. She was tired of shouting across the room. “What did your scan reveal?”

“I’m not sure why, but Roxie has no latent abilities.”

She froze, shocked by the news. “Really? Are you sure? Her DNA scans confirmed that she’s a hybrid.”

“I’m sure.” He relaxed enough to lean his shoulder against the doorframe as his gaze turned speculative. “I spent the last hour speaking with two of your geneticists. They confirm what Gerrod told you. The combination Pern discovered should consistently produce empowered females.”

Confirmation was always nice, but that didn’t jive with what Lor had just discovered. “Then why didn’t it work with Roxie?”

“Roxie’s father didn’t follow Pern’s formula.”

“In what way?”

“All of the females Gerrod bred with were one hundred percent human. Roxie’s mother already possessed alien DNA, which disrupted the mutation.”

Morgan rubbed her temples, no longer able to ignore the throbbing “I’m so tired, I’m not even sure if this is good news or bad.”

“For our purposes, I think it’s moot. All of the Shadow Assassins on Earth are hunters. It’s unlikely they possess the skill needed to detect this weakness. They’ll probably conclude that her abilities are still latent and proceed as if nothing were wrong.”

“There were a few too many qualifiers in there for my comfort.” Morgan sighed. “I was really hoping we could arm her with some sort of ability before we sent her into the lion’s den. I’m not sure how to ensure her safety, yet I’m even more convinced that we have no other choice.”

“Elias indicated that you have a way to track her.”

“I do. It’s an isotope we came across in our dealings with another group of visitors. As long as they keep her on Earth—and Sevrin wouldn’t have built a new headquarters if she intended to return to Rodymia—I can track Roxie. But knowing where she is doesn’t keep her safe. I need to look her in the eyes and explain how I’m going to do that.”

“That’s not your job. It’s mine. The Shadow Assassins are my responsibility. I’ve sent for reinforcements and requested a larger team. The new personnel should be here by morning. If you can keep track of Roxie, I can ensure her safety.”

Morgan hesitated. She hated having to rely on others for any element of her success, but Lor was right. She didn’t have the tools needed to take on the Shadow Assassins and he did. “I know your right. It’s just not comfortable admitting that there is something I can’t do.”

“I wouldn’t know.” He softened the boast with a smile then pushed off the doorframe. “Go get some sleep. You look exhausted.”

She chuckled, pleased that they had bonded to the point where he would tell her. “Right back at you, buddy. I’ll see you in the morning.”

She returned to her desk and turned her laptop toward her. As if the infernal machine knew she was about to turn it off, it pinged, indicating a new email just hit her inbox. It was well past midnight. Who would email her at this ungodly hour?

Curiosity trumped fatigue and she launched the program.

The new message was from Flynn. Good thing she’d checked. His messages had been erratic since he started sleeping with Sevrin, but he never risked a message unless it was important.

As was his habit, his information was succinct and urgent:

Put Roxie back! Sevrin intends to check on her in the morning. More details to follow as situation allows.

“Shit.” She rushed across the office and ran after Lor.

He turned around as he heard her call his name. “What’s wrong?”

“We’re out of time. We have to move Roxie now.”

Chapter Seven

Elias watched his fingers sink into the heat of Roxie’s snug passage. He was working on her third orgasm and her scent was driving him crazy. If he didn’t taste her soon, he wasn’t sure he could control the other desires pounding through his body. Hoping to distract her with the shuttle of his fingers, he slowly lowered his head between her thighs.

She grabbed his hair with both hands and tugged him away from his target. “You’re violating the terms of our agreement.” She laughed at his startled expression. “If I can’t touch you, you can’t lick me.”

Unable to deprive himself completely, he withdrew his fingers and raised them to his mouth. His gaze stared into hers as he savored her salty-sharp taste. “Then let’s renegotiate. I really want to put my mouth on you.”

A frantic pounding on his door preempted her reply, then Morgan’s voice called from the corridor. “Elias! Open up. It’s important!”

He scrambled off the bed and struggled into his jeans as he rushed across the room. “What’s wrong?” He only opened the door far enough so they could see each other.

“Roxie better be in there with you. I just came from her holding cell.”

“She is. What’s wrong?”

“Sevrin plans to check on Roxie first thing in the morning. We have to get her in place now.”

“How can she possibly know that?” Roxie asked from beside the bed. She’d pulled on her shirt and was tying the drawstring on her uniform pants. Close enough to decent. He let the door swing inward and went to his closet for a clean T-shirt.

“We managed to recruit one of the Shadow Assassins,” Elias told her. “He’s been feeding us information for months, but his value exploded when Sevrin let him into her bed.”

“Sevrin’s lover is working for you?” She looked at Morgan as Elias finished dressing. “Does Lor know about this?”

“He does now.” Morgan stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. “I wasn’t intentionally keeping it from him. The detail just never came up.”

“Yeah right. Did Lor buy that line of bullshit?”

Morgan actually laughed. “Not any better than you did.” The light moment passed as quickly as it had formed and Morgan was all business again. “Lor will be here in a minute. He had to send a message to Ontariese requesting reinforcements ASAP. We were hoping to have everyone briefed before we sent you home, but that’s not possible now. We’ll have to do things in stages.”

“Elias said you’ll be able to track me even if they teleport me to their new lab.”

Like Morgan, Roxie seldom beat around the bush. Elias hoped they’d eventually find other commonalities. The tension between them made it uncomfortable for everyone.

“With your permission, we’ll inject you with an isotope that transmits a harmless form of radiation. The radiation lingers in the air for several hours, so it can be detected over very long distances.”

“Like from another planet?” Roxie crossed her arms over her chest, her emotions already shutting down.

Elias moved up beside her and took her hand. “They’re not going to take you to another planet. Half of Rodymia just came here.”

“And we’re not going to send you into the fight without any sort of weapon.” Morgan pulled a slender metal band out of her pocket. It rolled in on itself, creating concentric rings. “This is a suppression collar. It prevents a Shadow Assassin from accessing their powers. They’re still strong and fast, but it will prevent one from teleporting you long enough for Lor’s men to arrive.”

“Is it still functional?” Elias took it from her and looked it over. “Didn’t they cut if off Gerrod?”

“They did, but that wasn’t the problem. It needed to be reprogramed. These things are ‘tuned’ to an owner’s DNA. Anyone can activate it, but only the owner can activate the release mechanism.”

Elias reluctantly handed it to Roxie. He was thrilled that she’d have some form of weapon at her disposal, but she’d have to be within arm’s reach of the Shadow Assassin to use this one.

“Who owns this one?” Roxie slowly unrolled the band, as she turned it this way and that.

“Lor and I co-own it, thought it would be safer that way.” Morgan held out her arm. “Hold tightly to the end and snap it against my forearm.” Holding the end firmly between her thumb and forefinger, Roxie snapped the device against Morgan. The curved band expanded, rolling smoothly outward until it encircled Morgan’s arm. “And the harder you snap it, the faster it unrolls.” Morgan pressed her thumb against the seam and spoke a word Elias didn’t recognize. The locking mechanism clicked, hissed, and then released. “When you’re ready to use it, don’t hesitate. It’s the only one we have.” She handed the device back to Roxie.

Before Roxie could respond, someone knocked on the door. Elias reluctantly left her side and opened the door for Lor.

“I’ll have two new Mystics within the hour and an additional four by morning,” Lor told them.

Morgan nodded. “Good. We need all of the help we can get.”

Elias returned to Roxie’s side and placed his hand at the small of her back. They faced each other in a messy circle in the middle of Elias’ living area. Judging from their disheveled clothing and the purple smudges under their eyes, neither Morgan nor Lor had been to bed yet. A conference room would have been more comfortable, but everyone was too focused on strategy to relocate.

“Did Lor tell you about my lack of abilities?” Roxie asked Morgan.

“Yes and my geneticists think the transformation wasn’t triggered because your mother already had alien DNA. All of the empowered daughters were born to full-blooded humans.”

“Good to know,” Elias muttered though he wasn’t sure how, or if, it affected the current situation.

“Will the Rodytes be able to tell that I don’t have abilities?” Roxie asked. “Can they scan me like Lor did?”

She’d posed the question to Morgan, but Lor answered. “Their skills are different than mine. All of the Shadow Assassins on Earth functioned as hunters. If any of them had sweeper skills, we’d be in trouble, but I just confirmed that they do not.”

“Wasn’t Nazerel eligible for both programs?” Morgan sounded as if she were reluctant to bring it up.

“He was, but he was never trained as a sweeper. I just spoke with Varrik about this very thing.”

“Who is Varrik?” Roxie wanted to know.

“He was the alpha sweeper,” Lor told her. “Likely the most powerful of all Shadow Assassins.”

“He’s the one who helped them liberate the Shadow Maze, so most consider him a traitor,” Elias added.

“We need to get moving,” Morgan reminded. “Have you two worked out the details of your cover story?”

“We have,” Elias assured.

“Then the next step is being seen together. Don’t wait around for Sevrin. She might not want you to know she’s there. Take him to your shop, introduce him to your friends, act like you’re in a new relationship and can’t keep your hands off each other.” She glanced at the rumpled bed and smiled. “Somehow, I don’t think that will be too difficult.”

Lor took a step forward angling his body more fully toward Elias and Roxie. “I’ll have my team in place within the hour. Most of the time you won’t see us, but you’ll have backup at all times. If you’re willing to permit it, I’d like to form a telepathic link so we can speak to you directly. I also had another thought.”

“I’m listening,” Roxie said.

“Now that you’ve been intimate, I can create a proximity bond.”

She looked around, obviously panicked. “Elias said this room wasn’t monitored. How do you know…”

Lor just smiled. “Lucky guess.”

Elias moved his hand from her back and interlaced their fingers. “Basic powers of observation. The room is
not
monitored. What’s a proximity bond?”

“It’s a metaphysical link that tethers you together. Where one goes the other will follow.”

“Even if I’m teleported?” No one could have missed the hope in Roxie’s tone.

“Yes,” Lor assured with another smile. “But emotions and thoughts can escape across the link so it’s not wise to create such a bond unless the couple shares some level of intimacy.”

“I’m game,” Elias said without hesitation. If Roxie didn’t have to face this alone, any emotional sharing would be worth it. Besides it might be interesting if she could feel the full impact of his attraction to her. It would obliterate her fear that he still considered her an assignment.

“Having to go through this alone was my biggest fear,” she admitted. “I’d welcome the bond.”

“You were never going to be alone,” Lor stressed. “We just had to work out the logistics.”

“I hate to rush you,” Morgan said, “but we don’t have a lot of time. We have to get you two in place before Sevrin arrives.”

“Wait a minute.” Suspicion and anger suddenly animated her delicate features. “If Sevrin’s lover is your spy, why do you even need me? Can’t he tell you where the new lab is located?”

Morgan shook her head. “Nothing is ever simple when Sevrin is involved. Flynn is either drugged or blindfolded when he’s taken to the complex. He doesn’t know the exact location. We know it takes less than an hour to reach, so our search area has shrunk considerably. But that still leaves a lot of ground to cover.”

“Are you sure you can trust Flynn. He’s kind of an asshole.”

The description made Morgan smile. “He’s been playing up his ruthlessness to attract Sevrin’s attention.”

“And Nazerel’s,” Roxie countered. “Those two are thick as thieves.”

“That’s by design, as well. I promise you. He’s one of the good guys.”

Roxie waved away the subject. “It makes no difference to me, except it sounds like I’m still needed.”

“Definitely.” Morgan’s expression grew serious and she moved directly in front of Roxie. “We’re doing everything we can to mitigate the danger, but you’re still taking a huge risk. I’m aware of all you’re risking and appreciate your willingness to help us.”

Roxie smiled. “Careful, ma’am. You’re going to ruin your reputation as a hard-ass.”

Morgan chuckled. “Well, we can’t have that.” She motioned Lor forward and moved out of the way. “Get busy, Master dar Joon. We haven’t got all day.”

“Or all night as it were,” Lor muttered. “Frist things first, I’ll anchor a telepathic link with each of you and then I’ll form the proximity bond.”

Elias had been working with the Mystics for almost two months now and they still managed to amaze him. Lor was skilled and powerful, and Elias barely felt it when Lor anchored the first link.

Can you hear me?
Elias nodded and Lor smiled.
The link is interactive. You can respond silently.

That will come in handy. Will Roxie and I be able to talk mind-to-mind?

Only when the link is already open. The connection must be activated by a Mystic.

Lor moved closer to Roxie and asked, “Are you ready?”

“I should be used to this by now.” She sighed, but her fingers tightened against Elias’ hand. “Go ahead.”

For a moment Elias sensed nothing and then his connection with Lor tingled and expanded. Like an operator searching for a radio signal, his mind filled with white noise then Lor’s thoughts cut through the static.

Is my signal clear?
Lor looked at Roxie and she nodded.
Try to respond. We need to be able to hear you as well.

We?
She turned her head sharply and looked up at Elias.
Can he hear my thoughts too?

Lor chuckled, but his expression remained patient.
Only after a Mystic has opened the link. But you need to be careful what you say. Anyone skilled with telepathic links can access this connection. If I shield it any more securely, you wouldn’t be able to hear me.

She accepted the limitation with obvious disappointment.
Okay. I can hear you fine.

Can you hear me?
Elias asked.

Loud and clear.

And that’s all there is to it.
Lor smiled at Roxie.
Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?

She blinked a couple of times then shook her head. “No, but you’re not finished.”

“The proximity bond is only a little more complicated, still nothing to fear.” Lor held out his hand, palm up. “Place your hands on mine. You must be touching each other as well as me.” Elias put his free hand on top of Lor’s and Roxie followed his example. “Roxie, your hand must touch mine as well as his.”

“Sorry.” She curved her fingers until her palm pressed against his hand and her fingertips rested on Lor’s.

“Now try to relax and accept the new sensations. It will feel strange, but it shouldn’t be painful.”

Roxie closed her eyes, but Elias watched her. He could still feel her silken skin as he slid his hands over her body. A faint hint of her taste lingered on his tongue, teasing him, making him hungry for more. With a frustrated sigh, he dragged his gaze away. His distraction endangered them both. He needed to resist these feelings and focus on her safety. At least until the danger had passed.

It was just easier said than done.

As if to mock his determination, emotions flowed into his mind and cascaded through his body, pulsing desire and urgent anticipation. He wasn’t the only one remembering their love play and Roxie’s imagination was just as detailed as his. Elias shivered and finally closed his eyes.