In the Shadows (Metahuman Files Book 3)
Page 34
Staring down into Sean’s eyes, watching every little flicker of sensation wash over his face, was intimate in a way Alexei didn’t ever want to do without. Sean never looked away, mouth parted as he urged Alexei on with his body and voice. Alexei could deny him nothing, not like this, not when he was so willing to take what Alexei wanted to give him.
Bracing himself against the bed, Alexei shifted on his knees to get a better angle, driving in deep and hard. The resulting shout Sean couldn’t hold back made Alexei bare his teeth in a tight smile. He fucked in hard at that same angle again, picking up the pace, until the only sound between them was their harsh breathing, the stinging slap of their bodies coming together, and Sean’s desperate cries. His voice grew thinner, more desperate, fingernails scratching across Alexei’s lower back as Sean urged him on.
A week apart was enough time to make it difficult to last. Alexei felt his balls begin to tighten and he gritted his teeth against the sensation. Working a hand between them, he gripped Sean’s cock and jerked him off with tight fingers. Sean choked on a yell at the first rough drag of his hand, writhing underneath him.
“Lyosha!” Sean shouted as his entire body shivered through his orgasm.
Alexei fucked him through it, cum sticking messily to both their chests as he chased his own orgasm in Sean’s body. It rolled through him like a wave of heat, making him snarl wordlessly as he came. He thrust into Sean a few more times, hard enough to shove them both up the bed as his entire body went tight with release.
Sean drew him down in a messy, off-center kiss that sent sparks zinging down Alexei’s spine. He licked his way into Sean’s mouth, breathing in shared air as they both came down from a rush that left Alexei just a little lightheaded. With a groan, Alexei slipped his softening cock out of Sean, lying down on top of him. Alexei bent his head, pressing a soft, openmouthed kiss against Sean’s sweaty chest, right over his heart.
“Serdtse, Senya,” Alexei murmured.
Sean exhaled shakily, but didn’t try repeating the word. “My name isn’t Senya.”
Alexei propped his chin up on Sean’s chest, blinking lazily at him. “Can’t make your name small. Is already small. Call you Senya instead.”
Sean stared at him, a soft look in his eyes, as he gently ran his fingers through Alexei’s sweaty hair. “Just because you name it doesn’t mean it’s yours.”
“Sure about that, kotyonok?”
Sean huffed out a soft little laugh. “You’re lucky I like you, Lyosha.”
Alexei smiled, closing his eyes. “Da. Udachniy.”
They lay like that for a few more minutes before the sticky mess between them became too uncomfortable. Sean gently tugged on Alexei’s hair, garnering his attention. “I’m hungry. The flight over here had shitty food.”
“Can cook for you?” Alexei asked as he shifted off of Sean to lie beside him on the bed.
Sean turned his head to look at him. “After we shower.”
Alexei reached out and brushed some of Sean’s sweaty hair off his forehead. “Start water. Will make us coffee.”
“Please tell me you didn’t place an order for coffee while I was gone. I can’t afford it.”
“Is gift from Jamie, remember? Kilyusha give to me. Will share with you.”
Sean rolled onto his side to face Alexei. “If you’re sharing your coffee, I guess I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good. Not want you to.”
Sean’s shy, bright smile lit up his eyes.
Alexei pulled Sean close for a lingering kiss and thought to himself, Sometimes spy work isn’t so bad after all.
INDEX
Short descriptions of words, acronyms and phrases used in the story that weren’t readily explained in text. Included as well are character names.
Antonovich, Christov: Russian-American mobster based out of New Miami.
ATF: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. A federal law enforcement organization whose main responsibilities include investigating the unlawful use, manufacture and possession of firearms and explosives; investigating bombings; and investigating the illegal trafficking of alcohol and tobacco.
Bennett, Carter: CIA Deputy Director in the story.
Brannigan, Kyle (Staff Sergeant): Former Strike Force operative, currently assigned to Alpha Team as a sniper, metahuman (rapid healing), code named Reaper, hails from Boston, Massachusetts.
Brown, Annabelle: Former Night Stalker pilot, currently assigned to Alpha Team as a pilot, metahuman (anti-gravity, flight), code named Icarus, hails from Asheville, North Carolina.
Callahan, Jamie (Captain): Previously a Recon Marine, currently leading Alpha Team, metahuman (enhanced strength and durability), code named Apollo, billionaire heir, hails from New York City, New York.
Chan, Madison: Previously a Recon Marine, currently assigned to Alpha Team as a demolitions specialist, metahuman (energy blasts), code named Nova, hails from Los Angeles, California.
Chatter: Chatter is a signals intelligence term that refers to the volume/quantity of intercepted communication, whether between people or electronic methods.
CIA: Central Intelligence Agency. Civilian foreign intelligence service of the United States tasked with gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information throughout the world.
Delaney, Sean: Former CIA officer specializing in deep cover, currently an agent in the MDF’s intelligence division, metahuman (phase power), code named Wraith, hails from New Seattle, Washington.
Dvorkin, Alexei (Staff Sergeant): Former Strike Force operative, currently assigned to Alpha Team as a close combat specialist, metahuman (pyrokinesis), code named Inferno, originally from a refugee city in the Ukraine, hails from Boston, Massachusetts.
Exfil: Extraction, also exfiltration. Military term for immediately removing and relocating personnel out of a hostile environment and taking them to a secure area.
FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation. Domestic intelligence and security service of the United States, and its principal federal law enforcement agency. The FBI has jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crimes.
Gailani, Matthew (Captain): Current Strike Force operative who used to lead Kyle and Alexei’s old squadron.
JAG: Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Legal branch of a military dealing with military justice and military law. Primarily serve as legal advisors to the command they are assigned to. Their advice covers a wide range of military and civilian laws.
Jansen, Nikolaas: Facilitator of black-market deals between buyers and sellers who run the gamut of social and class status, metahuman (empath), originally from Amsterdam, Netherlands, currently from London, England.
MDF: Metahuman Defense Force. A hybrid federal agency/military group in the United States that deploys metahumans and humans on a domestic and international basis to deal with metahuman terrorists.
Metahumans: Humans whose natural immunity to Splice changes them into people with various powers within the story.
Nazari, Amir (General): Director who oversees and leads the Metahuman Defense Force.
NCO: Non-Commissioned Officer. A military officer who didn’t earn a commission. Usually they are of an enlisted rank and are promoted to officer. In contrast, a commissioned officer usually receives training in leadership through a military academy and don’t come up through enlisted ranks.
Night Stalkers: A special operations force of the United States Army that provides helicopter and other aviation support.
NOC: Non-official cover. Espionage term used for an agent or operative assuming a covert role in an organization (foreign or otherwise) without any official ties to the government they are working for. They do not have the protection of their country if caught. Governments will deny the agent or operative is working for them.
Ovechkina, Ekaterina “Katie” (Sergeant): Previously a Recon Marine, currently second-in-command of Alpha Team, communications specialist and hacker, metahuman (telepathy), code named Viper,
hails from Chicago, Illinois.
Pavluhkin, Stanislav: Son and heir to a Russian oligarch and the Presnenskaya Bratva, metahuman (precognition), hails from Moscow, Russia.
PMC: Private military company. A privately owned company that provides armed combat and/or security services to other companies, government agencies, and the military in a support role.
Presnenskaya Bratva: A Moscow-based Russian gang originating in the Presnensky District, the largest and most powerful crime syndicate within the Russian mafia, one with a wide international reach.
Reborn IRA: Reborn Irish Republican Army. An organization still fighting in the future for full autonomy from the British government in order to bring about a united Ireland.
Red Star Cluster: Military term for a distress call. Literally references the hand-launched pyrotechnic signal flare.
Sanchez, Trevor: Previously a Recon Marine, currently assigned to Alpha Team as a medic, metahuman (telekinesis), code named Bones, hails from Dallas, Texas.
SOCOM: United States Special Operations Command. Unified command that overseas all Special Operations command across all branches of the military.
Sons of Adam: Homegrown U.S. terrorist group with nativist tendencies who want to take back the country from the government. Occasionally fields metahumans in their fights against the U.S. government and targeted groups.
Splice: Toxic chemical within the story that has a 95% kill rate. Those with immunity to it get turned into metahumans.
Stirling, Ranisha (Rear Admiral Lower Half): Deputy director who supports the director in running the Metahuman Defense Force.
Strike Force: My made up alternate version of the very real Delta Force, a highly classified special forces operational unit.
Williams, Donovan: Previously a Recon Marine, currently assigned to Alpha Team as a transport specialist, metahuman (enhanced spectrum eyesight), code named Tank, hails from Atlanta, Georgia.
Wolcott, Adrian: Casino magnate and wealthy owner of Olympus, one of the more famous casinos in Las Vegas.
Wolcott, Chloe: Adrian’s wife and a moderately famous model.
Wolcott, Declan: Previously an Army Ranger, honorably discharged from the U.S. Army, he now owns and runs North Star International, a private military company.
Author’s Notes
Thank you so much for reading this story! I really hope you enjoyed it. I couldn’t have wrangled it into order without the help of my usual alpha readers Kelly and Pilar. As always, a HUGE thank you to Leslie Copeland for her brainstorming help, keen eye to detail, and spot-on suggestions. Thanks as well to Bear for her help, encouragement, friendship, and letting me subject her to numerous random texts just because I’m bored.
Thanks to Jersey Devil Editing for nit-picking the hell out of this story. Commas and hyphens are my bane. Also thanks to Kasmit Covers for the amazing cover. Their hard work is always appreciated.
Again, I have never been active military, so if I got any of the terms and actions wrong, my apologies. I tried to extrapolate as best I could when accounting for the story theme and its timeframe in the future. I also know nothing about the CIA, spies, and espionage. I’m winging it and making stuff up as I go along, but hopefully my winging it makes sense.
I would be thrilled and grateful if you would consider reviewing In the Shadows on Amazon or Goodreads. I appreciate all honest reviews, positive or negative.
www.haileyturner.com
Cover design by Kasmit Covers.
Professional Beta Reading by Leslie Copeland: lcopelandwrites@gmail.com
Edited by Jersey Devil Editing.
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Other Works By Hailey Turner
Metahuman Files
01 – In the Wreckage
02 – In the Ruins
03 – In the Shadows
04 – In the Blood
05 – In the Requiem
A Metahuman Files: Classified Novella
01 – Out of the Ashes
Thanks for reading!