Scarlet Reflections: (Adult Sci-Fi Romance) (Shadow's Eclipse Book 1)

by MM Glenn

  There was a moment in which he was suddenly nervous that he'd gone too far. That, despite the lust and desire he could feel rolling off of her, his aggressive play had been too much. The slight, sharp taste of her primal gut reaction slapped at his mind, stinging. But then she embraced it, attending to his cock like a devotee to her idol, worshipping it. Worshipping him. And he could see the pleasure in the faintly unfocused look in her eyes as she stared back at him, watching him as he used her mouth for his pleasure.

  Quinn moaned, letting the sound of his pleasure fill the apartment. Feeling his orgasm beginning to build –stunned that he was approaching his third of the night– he attempted to draw matters out by leaning back. But Kaydia seemed to pounce as he did, her lips on his shaft maintaining the same pace, her hands like fire on his skin. Almost involuntarily his hips rose to meet her, offering her more of his meat. She accepted the offer, devouring him, sending pleasure dancing along his nerves.

  "Close..." he groaned. "Such a good mouth, Kaydia. Ah! So... close..." He felt himself growing harder, felt himself throb against her lips. He licked his own lips, watching her green eyes as she sucked at him, and he smiled. "So... will I have... to punish... you?" His back arched again, and his fists tightened in her hair once more. "KAYDIA!"

  His third orgasm of the night was almost painful in its intensity, and Kaydia used her lips and tongue to drag it out. He moaned helplessly as she swallowed every drop he gave her before licking him clean. By the end, his muscles felt like jelly, and all he could do was slump back against the couch and gasp for breath. It had been a long time –too long– since he'd felt like this. Since he'd been desired like this.

  Slowly, seeming every bit as shaky and exhausted as he felt, Kaydia crawled up onto the couch and snuggled in against him. His arms went around her, holding her close. He listened to her breathing, feeling the stirring of some deep and unexpected emotion he wasn't quite prepared to name.

  "Still breathing? Or do I have to add you to my list of casualties?"

  "Yes," he responded, holding her closer and grinning stupidly. He felt like he should say something more, but wasn't sure what. And he didn't want to spoil the moment.

  "Did you want to stay the rest of the night? Plenty of room in my bed," she offered. Or tempted.

  "Yeah." He smiled. "I'd like that." Shakily, he stood up. Then he scooped her up, enjoying her small sound of surprise as he took her in his arms and made his careful way to the low, large bed in the room. It took all his willpower to lay her down gently rather than drop her –he really was quite exhausted– but his reward was to crawl in after her and snuggle in against her, enjoying her warmth and softness and their mingled scents. "G'night, Kaydia," he murmured through a jaw-cracking yawn, before kissing her gently. "I..."

  Whatever he was going to say was lost, however, as he yawned again. And then his eyes closed, and within moments he was fast asleep.

  The Next Job

  In Kaydia's dreams, she relived their encounter, and the Shadi mask fell apart as they came together. Her dress pooled around her ankles and her wig slipped down as his fingers combed through her hair. Hands explored her body, discovering the real her concealed beneath her persona. The her she was terrified to reveal and tired of hiding.

  But when they pulled away, she wasn’t nude. Instead, she wore her acolyte robes and the insecurities of a seventeen-year-old girl. And the Quinn that looked back at her was a younger version of himself, and she had the strangest feeling that she was remembering what he looked like a decade ago, instead of merely imagining it.

  Adrenaline surged through her, propelling her awake. Her past never was far behind, and she doubted she’d ever fully escape it. There was a temptation to snuggle back into Quinn’s warmth, to lose a few more hours in his arms and in his eyes. But he rocked her world last night and deserved whatever rest he could carve out for himself. So she left him alone, turning her thoughts towards the job at hand.

  Before long, Kaydia transformed herself into Lorsha, a woman who seemed cloned a thousand times over to perform the invisible work that kept the galaxy moving smoothly. The secretary who answered phones and maintained schedules, the restaurant hostess who oversaw tables and wait-staff rosters, the personal assistant who arranged every aspect of her employer's day. And In her case, she was that valet that was always around precisely when she was needed, whether she was called ahead of time or not. Donning a short black wig in the style of an impeccably sharp bob, and a simple, streamlined black leather outfit that only hinted at her sensuality, the transformation was nearly complete.

  Out of all her personas, Kaydia liked being Lorsha the most. She appreciated the invisibility it afforded her, as opposed to the attention that Shadi was calculated to attract.

  She was already eating in her mask as Quinn woke up. "Good morning. Help yourself to breakfast, it's mostly dehydrated foodstuffs, unfortunately. I put your clothes through the refresher, so they should be ready pretty soon. I thought you can join me for the meeting with my contact. It would save me the trouble of relaying all this information to you a second time."

  "No, yeah. That sounds good." He yawned a jaw-cracking yawn. "Let me just get cleaned up, first. And then I'll eat and we can go meet your contact." With that, he threw the covers off and headed towards the bathroom.

  Watching the naked Quinn stride towards the bathroom made Kaydia wish she wasn't already dressed and ready for the day. And the thought of him in the shower, alone, with water rolling down his washboard abs distracted her from her meal. Maybe next time they would have to get in together.

  Next time. Would there be a next time? He wasn’t her first one-night stand, but he may have been the first she wished could last a little longer. Could they... date? It wasn't impossible, was it? Just because she was a psychic assassin in hiding and he was a mercenary? Their lives could be more than the next job, couldn’t they?

  He dressed quickly, opting to leave boots and jacket for when they left but was strapping on the shoulder rig that carried his blaster and plasma blade. It was too bad he was already dressed, but she still smiled at him, finding his company just as alluring as his nudity. Still there was a job to do, and as she discovered last night, tearing each other's clothing off was half the fun.

  "If we have time," he said, taking a seat and spooning reconstituted hash onto a plate, "I'd like to swing past Munden's first. I should return that borrowed speeder. But it's not urgent."

  "Should be fine. I have to pick up mine anyways, so we can switch them off. " She replied, before finishing her coffee.

  He ate a few bites, then smiled at her from across the table. After a moment, he reached out and rested his hand on hers. "And... after last night..." He hesitated. "My name –my real name– is Quentin. Quentin Hall. I just, well, haven't used it in... in a while. I just..." He hesitated again. "I wanted you to know it."

  For a moment, memories from her dream flooded back, suddenly feeling relevant in a way she couldn't quite place. The revelation of his real name made her blush, as if that admission were far more intimate than what they had done last night. With a warm smile, she leaned in towards him and placed a quick, moist kiss on his lips. Maybe they were dating.

  "Looks like we will have to do this again, so I can scream out the right name, this time."

  He kissed her back. "You can try," he whispered, caressing her cheek. "But next time, I'm going to try to leave you unable to speak..."

  ***

  Quentin found himself brooding, as he returned the borrowed speeder. What was he doing? He'd never broken cover like this before, never told anyone his real name before. And then, after a single night's fucking, he had risked everything!

  Only... it wasn't just a simple case of getting laid, was it? He ran his fingers through his hair, and stared out the window. He liked her. Maybe he was even falling for her –something that felt ridiculous, since it had been less than a week since they'd met. But even now, he was trying to figure out how to persuade her to come
with him when he was finished. She was skilled, she was good in a fight (and in bed), she was fun to talk to, and she was psionic. He'd recognized the empathic feedback once he'd thought about it, even if she hadn't. It was why they'd been so good together; each had sensed what the other wanted.

  Psionic.

  Damnit, he was going to have to consult the records. The odds were astronomical, but was it possible he'd stumbled across that lost acolyte after all these years?

  ***

  Soon they were off, returning his borrowed speeder and retrieving her own. A top of the line, model year transport that was as sleek and efficient as her mask. Quentin sat up front, alongside her as she parked and waited for her contact, Linora.

  The slender brunette entered the speeder without hesitation, though her brown eyes narrowed at the sight of Quentin.

  "This is Quinn Hale, merc. He’s going to work this job with me,” Kaydia introduced, deciding to keep his real name to herself. After all, she understood the need for aliases, especially in this line of work. There was another moment of tension from Linora, scrutiny in her gaze as it traced Quentin, before she nodded once. Kaydia pulled out to drive along the predetermined route, which in reality was just an excuse for her and Linora to meet up.

  "Tuzza Drezix is your target this time around," she said simply, as if his name weren’t a bombshell. The regional Vigo, and the man who had authorized and overseen Kaydia’s conditioning. The one who had given her the command to kill Justiciar Bry-Ta. This should be a satisfying kill for her, if not an easy one. "He is familiar with all your current persona's, so you should let Quinn take lead. Like I said last night, I can't know anything until you hit him, and all I can give you is his schedule for the next month, but I'll pay twice your rate for this job." She sent the files over to their datapads.

  "Any questions?"

  Quentin glanced over the data pad, and shook his head. Then he looked sideways at Kaydia, checking if she had any.

  With the speeder on autopilot, Kaydia reviewed the information. Tuzza Drezix. Her worst memories flooded her mind at the sight of him. She forced the Lorsha mask, wearing a calm, in control expression as sorrow and rage coursed through her veins. Suddenly, she needed a hit of Inertia. Something to drown the emotions boiling under her skin. Even Quentin's presence, and the thought of spending another night wrapped around him couldn't ease the tension that tugged at her very being.

  It was the culmination of everything she wanted since she returned to this life. To strike at that man, and repay the years of pain. He’d wanted an assassin? She’d be his assassin.

  "No questions," she answered, finally, once the weight of both Quentin's and Linora's eyes on her became too much. Just in time, too, since she was nearing the endpoint of their trip. Linora got out without another word and Kaydia pulled the speeder out and drove a couple kilometers away.

  ***

  Quentin nearly shook with relief as Linora exited the speeder, half-expecting her to turn and cut him down through the hull. But she walked away without a look back, merging into the crowd and disappearing into a store. He sighed, then began systematically flexing and releasing each of his muscles in turn to release tension.

  It was difficult. He could sense the hatred and anger and fear in Kaydia's mind, roiling and churning like storm clouds even as she struggled for calm and tried to review the details of the job. Finally, she tossed her datapad down. "It's not going to be simple," she observed, leaning back in the driver seat. "How do you feel about playing the chauffeur again?"

  "Well," he said, forcing a note of levity he didn't feel, "I think we've established that I don't mind driving..." It was a weak innuendo, but there it was. Turning his attention back to business, he picked up his own datapad and reviewed the notes once more. "Hmmm..." he finally muttered. "'Not going to be simple' is an understatement. So, we could abandon discreet."

  He put his datapad down as well. "I've got a proton launcher at my ship, part of my collection of questionably-legal implements of mayhem. We could just track his movements, and blow his skimmer to hell from blocks away." He mimed aiming and firing a shoulder-mounted weapon. "Boom. Then we just need to send a small probe in to collect enough DNA to prove he was in the car."

  Quentin's grin didn't falter in the teeth of her dour expression. "No? Well, I guess being hunted as terrorists would put a crimp in our plans. So. Tell me about playing the chauffeur?"

  The Close Call

  The plan was a terrible plan, but Quentin couldn't come up with a better one. So he let Kaydia begin scoping out a warehouse and pulling the strings to get him in place. For his own part, he tended to the modified skimmer. Which meant talking to Meryik Tann. The man loved a lot of things. Men. Women. Men and women together. Gambling. Drinking. But the one thing he loved above all else was vehicles. And for all his flippant airs, he was a consummate professional. So when Quentin approached him, the only questions he asked were related to the specific requirements of the scrambler.

  Their first break came two days after the meeting with Linora.

  ***

  "One of Zerrick Ahn's boys, hey?" The speaker was a large, dark complexion man, with skin like leather and dull brown eyes. He looked Quentin over.

  "Yep," Quentin drawled. He'd spent a little time modifying his appearance. Chemical tablets and ultraviolet treatments to darken his skin to the color of mahogany. Hormone injections to change the color of his eyes from blue-grey to brown. Inserts in his shoes to change his height and gait a little, and nose plugs and cheek pads to alter the contours of his face subtly.

  The speaker glanced over the details on his datapad. "Hmmm... driver, mainly. And a little bodyguard work." A bark of laughter. "Didn't do Zerrick much good, did you?"

  Quentin shrugged. "Ain't my fault. Ahn liked him a bit o' bein' choked out while he was gettin' laid." He snorted a little bitter laughter. "Always warned him he'd go a little far. Weren't much I could do, though. Not like he wanted an audience or nothin', not when he was having him a whore."

  "What happened?" the man asked, curious now.

  "You ain't heard?"

  "Nope."

  Quentin made a show of looking around, then leaned in conspiratorially. "You didn't hear this from me, got it? But he, ah... he kinda burst a blood vessel. Seems the whore didn't even notice, until she was finished."

  "She didn't notice?"

  "Nope. Guess he wasn't as good as he thought."

  Both men laughed, and the man waved the datapad. "Yeah, well, Miss Sunfell says you check out, so you're hired. Boss needs a good driver." He offered Quentin a hand. "Name's Bronn Tallet. You'll be reporting to me, unless the boss gives you orders directly."

  Quentin shook the man's hand. "Lazlo Jamis. A pleasure."

  ***

  It took nearly a week to put all the pieces in place. Quentin was in position to drive Tuzza to the location, and Kaydia had the warehouse set up to her benefit. They’d be outnumbered, three to two, but Tuzza wouldn't be expecting his driver to be in on the plot to take him out. She would have one of his bodyguards dead before he knew what was up and Quentin could have the other dead in an instant.

  Based on the intel Quentin sent her this morning, she reviewed who was guarding him today. Mythosha Phun, a tall, slender woman with sharp features and sharper eyes, and Oongol Furukt, a bulk of a man who stood head and shoulders over Tuzza. Mythosha was an expert at close quarters combat and Oongol was a master marksman, a potent combination that covered Tuzza from any and all attacks.

  Kaydia set up the warehouse with substantial cover in preparation for a firefight. Blasters weren't her preferred weapon, but she was decent. Besides, she wasn't sure she was ready for Quentin to know about her connection to psionics, or her past. She liked him, quite a bit, but it was hard to bring up the difficult memories. Maybe, once this job and part of her life were behind her, she could leave it behind and travel the galaxy with Quentin. Become a mercenary, like him. Partners in business, and maybe even something more.r />
  ***

  Lazlo –Quentin– pulled the modified speeder into the warehouse right on time. "We're here, Mister Drezzix," he said over the intercom. The back of the limo was a separate compartment from the driver's seat.

  "Good," the response came. "Kill the engine. We don't want anyone thinking we're in a hurry to get in and out."

  Quentin powered the speeder down, letting it settle on its skids. Taking a deep breath to settle jangled nerves –he was always nervous at the start of an operation– he glanced upwards at where he knew Kaydia would be lurking, and nodded once. Then he opened the door. First to emerge was Oongol Furukt, long pistol in one hand, slitted eyes scanning the interior of the building. Mythosha Phun was next, moving with a feline grace as she seemed to focus on everything at once. "Now?" she purred, a question Quentin wasn't prepared for.

  "Yes," Tuzza agreed, still sitting within the passenger compartment.

  Quentin felt the surge of adrenaline in the woman’s blood and felt her aggression suddenly directed at him. He had a fraction of a second for his nerves to scream we've been made! before Kaydia's blaster bolts hammered into Oongol in rapid succession, putting him down before he could raise his pistol. Mythosha's attention flicked to the dead man for that same fraction of a second, and Quentin acted. Faster than she could believe possible, a small knife dropped from his sleeve into his hand, and the weapon slammed into her throat and severed her spine before she realized fully what happened. She hit the ground, living just long enough to disbelieve his speed.

  "Shit!" Quentin called out as he tore open the limo door. "He's on to us!" And then he slammed the door shut as he saw the blastor in Tuzza's hand, spinning and dropping before he could fire. The action saved his life but also saved the Vigo's as Kaydia's blaster bolts deflected from the armored body of the speeder. Hand pressed against the metal frame, he could feel the vibrations from Tuzza as he called urgently for backup.