Authors: Crystal Jordan
Unleashed (4 page)
She dug out her palmtop computer, keyed in a code, and waited. A woman's face appeared on the vidscreen, her green eyes wide with curiosity. “Gea.”
“Delilah, I was wondering if you have time for a meeting.”
“Tonight?”
Gea wiped at the sweat on her brow and made her voice nonchalant, though she knew the other woman would see through the façade. “Tonight works for me, but whenever you have a free moment.”
“You look a little out of breath.” Delilah's eyebrows arched and she leaned closer to her screen.
“Just taking a constitutional stroll through the district.” Gea shrugged. She didn't care to show any weakness to the other woman. Delilah might have dropped out of the thieving game when she mated with a man richer than Deus, but she wasn't someone people wanted to show their underbelly to. Gea let a little grin quirk her lips. “You know how it goes.”
“Yeah, I do.” Delilah chuckled. “I'm on my way over to my sister's place now.” The gleam in those green eyes said she was amused by the exchange. Good. No one ever wanted to deal with her in a bad mood. “I'll be there most of the evening, if you want to stop in.”
“Perfect.” A glance over the edge of the building confirmed Gea's location and that she'd lost the Komodo dragon-shifter. She didn't have far to go to reach her destination. “I'd like to talk to your sister anyway.”
“Well, lucky us.”
Gea paused for a second as she realized Delilah might have a connection to her client that could complicate things. “Your husband isn't with you, is he?”
“Hunter? No, he's got a meeting with an associate of his tonight. Breck hasn't been up for entertaining in a while, so I left them to their business.”
Breck. As in Constantine Breckenridge, Gea's client. She winced, but there was no hope for it. She could only hope Delilah knew how to be discreet.
And maybe if she escorted the other woman out of the Vermilion on her way home, she could resist the temptation to stop by Quill's place for a second round of hot shagging.
3
K
ienan sat at a small table, facing the last living member of his family. His cousin, Pierce, stared at him for long moments before he spoke. “What's the occasion, Kienan?”
ienan sat at a small table, facing the last living member of his family. His cousin, Pierce, stared at him for long moments before he spoke. “What's the occasion, Kienan?”
He looked around at the enclosed balcony that overlooked the main floor of Tail. The polyglass windows muted the synthrock, the sound of people shouting or groaning at the gaming tables . . . or at some of the other, more sexual offerings of the technobrothel.
“I retired.” Neither of them were chatty men, so this conversation might be even briefer than he'd imagined. Then again, he wasn't sure what he'd been expecting. The Vaughns were hardly the type for heartfelt family reunions.
Surprise flickered in Pierce's silver gaze. “I figured you'd die in harness.”
So had Kienan. He'd never imagined a life for himself outside of covert ops. If one assignment or another didn't get him, he'd expected to be kicked upstairs to an admin desk job.
He shrugged. “I got tired of the game, so I got out.”
Every moment had been spent in a dark game of wits, lying to everyone around him, infiltrating crime organizations, terrorist cells, enemy governments, whatever was necessary. He'd realized there were only a handful of people in the world who knew his real name, who knew him at all. It had been an unsettling thought. He didn't say that to his cousin.
Pierce grunted. “Never expected to see you again.”
“I thought the same with you.” Kienan rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “I don't have any plans in place yet, but I just wanted to reconnect, see how you were doing, since we're the only ones left. That's all.”
Connection. Something to link him to reality rather than the world of secrets and lies that had been his existence for so long. Maybe coming to Pierce for that was a bad idea. The two of them were too much alike. Too dark inside. Too used to dealing in death and tragedy. His cousin was an agent for the FBI and had the same edge to him that all operatives did.
Pierce rubbed a thumb over the condensation on his glass. “I'm mated now.”
“Oh yeah?” Kienan's intel had already told him that, but when he'd heard, it'd surprised him. He'd never have guessed his cousin had a mate.
“Two of them, in fact.” His cousin snorted, as if he knew how ridiculous and unlikely that sounded. “Nolan and Lorelei.”
Nolan Angelo was an assassin for the FBI, one Kienan's superiors had tapped before to do their wet work. Not that the other man knew it, but it was something else Kienan didn't say, so he focused on the other mate. “Lorelei Chase, the owner of Tail, is your mate.”
Pierce waved a hand around at the wild activities taking place below them. “The one and only.”
“Huh.”
“That's what I thought, too, at first.”
Kienan chuckled and startled himself with the sound. When had he last laughed and meant it as something more than a part of the charade? “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” Pierce tapped his finger against the gleaming mercurite table. “Why did you retire?”
“It was killing me.”
The words were abrupt, startling them both. He didn't have to explain, though; his cousin understood. Pierce had been an agent for decades. They'd never been close, but he knew the lifestyle, knew what it cost a man. Kienan was grateful for that, at least.
“You can stay here with us for a few days, until you decide what to do with yourself.”
Kienan blinked, surprised by the offer. “Thanks, I think I'll take you up on that.”
Pierce left their private balcony and went down to speak to the woman behind the bar, who nodded and tapped her fingers over a vidpad. He ran a single fingertip down her cheekbone, more affection flashing in his gaze than Kienan had ever seen from his cousin. Interesting. So that was Lorelei Chase. She was even more gorgeous in person than she had been in the holopics he'd seen in the intel file on his cousin. She was probably the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, with auburn hair cascading down her back, wide green eyes, high cheekbones, and a body that could make a man beg to touch.
It took no time at all to get his one bag transferred to a room in the technobrothel. He was staying in the private quarters, where the jades lived, not where they entertained clients. He'd expected to hole up in a hotel for a few days or weeks, but this worked out better for him. If Pierce had mates, that meant Kienan had . . . in-laws wasn't the right term, but if they were mated to his cousin, they were family. Part of the Vaughn pack, though neither Lorelei nor Nolan was a wolf like Pierce and Kienan.
He'd wanted some connection to people. It looked like he had it. Or something.
He left his room to wander around Tail, learn the lay of the land. Pierce had been called away by a case, Nolan was apparently out of town on assignment, and Lorelei was busy, which meant Kienan had the chance to look around. Many of the doors were lockedâtaken by Lorelei's jades and their clienteleâbut the main floor was crowded. And loud.
The gaming tables were on one side of the room, and a long, curved polyglass bar took up the other side. He wended his way through the raucous gathering. It felt odd not to have anything he had to do, had to plan, had to think about. He didn't have to worry about money for a while, didn't need to hurry to find some other kind of employment. He was at loose ends for the first time ever.
The very concept was unsettling.
He wasn't the type to remain idle for long, but he didn't feel the need to rush into anything either. Slipping through the crowd, he stepped up to order a drink, but his gaze was transfixed by the display behind the bar.
There were massive iris windows that opened and closed at intervals, revealing people doing every imaginable carnal deed. One had a man getting fucked up the ass while a woman sucked his cock. Another had two women paddling a man wearing a leash. Kienan arched his eyebrows and settled onto a barstool. Voyeurism wasn't usually his kink, but he doubted anyone could resist watching.
A bartender in a tight microsilk-and-kleather corset approached him with a saucy wink as a greeting. “Hey, handsome. You looking for Lorelei?”
He shook his head, pulling his gaze away from the show. “Just looking for a beverage.”
“What'll you have?”
“Synthbrew. I'll open the bottle myself, if you don't mind.” Too many years with too many people trying to kill or disable him meant he didn't take chances with ending up drugged or poisoned. He might not live that life anymore, but old habits died hard. Besides, this was the Vermilion.
She grinned and didn't look insulted, thank Deus. “Sure. In the bottle, we have German falsch-hefeweizen or English simu-stout.”
“Hefeweizen.”
She dipped down behind the bar and came back up with his order, sliding it across the polyglass to him. Her gaze went to someone behind him, and a dimple flashed when she smiled. “Quill.”
A man walked up and propped one elbow on the bar, facing Kienan. Black nanotats laced up the side of his neck to his jaw, and a thick mercurite hoop pierced one ear. More nanotats peeked out of the sleeves of his jacket, wrapped around his wrists, and covered the tops of his hands. He smiled in a way that said he was good-looking and knew it. Tall and muscular, his brown hair cropped short, his golden eyes alight with interest as he looked Kienan over.
“What have we here?” The man all but purred, and Kienan could smell the feline on him. “Hello.”
Kienan nodded a greeting, feeling heated awareness skitter down his flesh.
“Are you enjoying the Peep Show?” The feline gestured to the windows behind the bar.
“Is that what it's called?” Kienan didn't bother to look, keeping his focus on the other man. There was something . . . different about this one. Something Kienan liked.
The golden-eyed man waited a beat before he spoke again. “I'm Quilliam North. Quill.”
“Kienan Vaughn.” Deus, when was the last time he'd used his real name to introduce himself? A downward rush, a horror tangled with a sense of utter liberty. He took a deep drag of his beer. “I'm Pierce's cousin.”
“You're a gray wolf, too, then?”
“Yes.” More information than he'd offered a stranger in one minute than he had to anyone else in years. It was heady. “And you are?”
“A leopard.” A slow smile spread across the other man's face and attraction sparked inside of Kienan. He held out his hand to shake, wanting to touch. The craving was sudden, sharp, an unexpected bonus to his first night of freedom. When was the last time he'd allowed himself to just
feel
without considering the ramifications to whatever mission he was on? Not since he'd joined the military at eighteen. Not since he'd been recruited into the murkier organizations of the government.
feel
without considering the ramifications to whatever mission he was on? Not since he'd joined the military at eighteen. Not since he'd been recruited into the murkier organizations of the government.
Sexual interest shone in the taller man's gaze, enough to make Kienan's muscles tighten, his cock begin to stiffen. The moment their flesh touched, instinct exploded inside of Kienan's head.
Mate.
Mate.
A shudder ran through him, and he clenched his jaw as the attraction turned into hot, wild lust. Unstoppable need. His cock went harder than mercurite, and his hand tightened around Quill's.
The other man's eyebrow arched, and a little smile kicked up the corner of his mouth. “I had a meeting with Lorelei before her sister arrived and kicked me out of the office. She mentioned Pierce's cousin was staying at Tail for a few days. You'll be in town for a bit?”
“Come back to my room.” Kienan couldn't care less about meetings or anything other than the fact that this man was
his.
His mate. The blood rushed through his veins as his heart raced and his breathing sped. His dick was so hard, he ached. The scent of other people annoyed him, kept him from smelling Quill and only Quill. It was exhilarating, this feeling. Powerful enough to make him shake.
his.
His mate. The blood rushed through his veins as his heart raced and his breathing sped. His dick was so hard, he ached. The scent of other people annoyed him, kept him from smelling Quill and only Quill. It was exhilarating, this feeling. Powerful enough to make him shake.
Quill blinked, but didn't hesitate. “Yes.”
He ran his thumb over the back of Kienan's hand, raising gooseflesh in the wake of his touch. When hard claws scraped his skin, sweat broke out on Kienan's forehead. Deus, he'd never been so hot in his life.
Mate.
The word drummed through his head. Mate. He wanted. He craved. Leaning in, Quill “accidentally” brushed up against Kienan's heavy erection and purred in approval as he trailed one finger up the hard length of it.
Mate.
The word drummed through his head. Mate. He wanted. He craved. Leaning in, Quill “accidentally” brushed up against Kienan's heavy erection and purred in approval as he trailed one finger up the hard length of it.
Fangs grazed Kienan's bottom lip, and he realized how close he was to feral. His voice dropped to a barely audible growl. “We go now or we fuck right here against the bar.”
Shuddering, Quill dropped his hands, stepped back, and motioned toward the private area of Tail. “After you.”
Kienan pivoted, striding toward the correct hallway while he felt the heat of the other man searing his back. Soon. Soon he'd be fucking his mate. The thought was almost enough to make him lose control. He stopped in front of his door and fumbled into his pocket for his ident card.
Hissing, Quill grabbed his shoulder from behind, spun him, and shoved his back against the door. Kienan snarled, the wolf close to breaking free. Quill just laughed and kissed him. It was rough and wild, the two biting and sucking, fighting for control of the encounter. Kienan thrust his tongue into the leopard-shifter's mouth, felt the scrape of fangs, but didn't know if they were his or Quill's. It didn't matter. What mattered was tasting his mate. Quill's hands moved down Kienan's chest, one settled on his nipple while the other trailed down to his cock to fondle him through his pants.
Deus, yes. He arched his hips, thrusting into those talented fingers that stroked him so perfectly. He tugged at the other man's clothes, wanting them gone. He managed to wrench open the seal on Quill's pants, drove his hand inside, and pumped his dick in his fist. When Quill twisted his nipple, dragging a sharp claw over it, Kienan nearly came in his pants. He jerked back, reversed their positions, and pinned the leopard to the wall beside the door.
Quill's cock was out, hard and twitching with need, and Kienan was beyond caring if anyone should see. He wanted to suck and fuck his mate. He sank to his knees, wrapping his hand around the long shaft and using his grip to pull the other man forward. Quill hissed at the rough contact and snarled when Kienan took him into his mouth. He sucked hard, his teeth scouring the sensitive flesh while Quill's moans rang through the empty hallway.
Kienan's cock throbbed as heat flowed like lava through his veins. His hips rolled in time with his sucking on his mate's cock. The head of Quill's dick hit the back of his throat, the salty tang of his pre-come sliding over Kienan's tongue. The low sound of his mate's groans drove him onward, and he gripped the other man's thighs, felt his talons dig into Quill's muscular legs. Urgency ripped through Kienan's system, the need to fuck, to claim, to mate tearing into his very soul. He'd never felt anything like it before, but he wanted more. He sank down on Quill's cock, sucked him in as deep as possible until his throat contracted around his mate's dick.
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