Beyond the Dark

by Angela Knight

  “You haven’t yet. Just don’t start now.”

  The tiger suddenly thrust its furry head from his chest to reach out a massive paw to her. Arial grinned and rubbed a hand over its head, and it shuttered its huge golden eyes in pleasure. “Besides, I don’t think your friend will let you.”

  Tracker stiffened with a gasp. “I have no idea what the fuck you’re doing, but I like it.” As the cat disappeared back inside him, he shrugged out of the long leather duster and flipped it over her like a blanket. She clutched its heavy, fragrant warmth and watched as he jerked off his gloves and threw them aside, then grabbed the covered zipper that ran down the front of his suit.

  The zipper hissed open, revealing an arrow of naked male flesh. Arial licked her lips in anticipation. Finally his cock spilled free, beautifully long and thick.

  She dropped the box of condoms to wrap her fingers around it. It felt smooth, hot, simultaneously soft and hard at once, like velvet over a core of steel.

  “Oh, God,” he groaned. And pounced, pushing her gently down on the carpeted deck.

  Tracker shoved aside the coat he’d used to cover her with, then dragged up her T-shirt. Her bra was still pulled down, giving him access to her pebbled nipples. His tongue swirled over one of them, as his right hand found the other. Thumb and forefinger squeezed and teased with exquisite care, sending molten delight spinning through her.

  Arial rolled her head back, groaning. She loved the feel of him, the solid, muscular leather-clad weight. Loved the way his cock filled her hand with its silken heat.

  Loved his mouth.

  His teeth scraped deliciously across her nipple, a tiny pleasure-pain, before he began to suckle. Instinctively, she grabbed the back of his head—and felt only the mask that covered it.

  It occurred to her she was making love to a man clad head to toe in leather. She laughed. “This is probably one of the kinkier things I’ve ever done.”

  He lifted his head, and she caught her breath at the golden glow shining through the lenses of his mask. His grin flashed. “You think this is kinky? Oh, darlin’, I haven’t even gotten started.”

  “WHAT the fuck are they doing?” Daedalus demanded, shivering against Kali as the two floated in midair.

  Kali snorted. “I have a feeling ‘fuck’ is the operative word.”

  “Well, I’m getting tired, and I’m freezing my ass off. I’m not going to be able to support us both while Tracker gets his rocks off.”

  “And the son of a bitch can probably go forever. He looks like the type.” And damn, wouldn’t she love to taste his talents firsthand? Two bad his will was as strong as those delicious biceps. “All right, find someplace to land where we’ll be concealed. We’ll keep an eye on the truck and fly out when they move.”

  Whenever that was.

  TRACKER had stripped Arial, but he was still fully dressed, except for that marvelous, jutting cock. She lay sprawled across the fragrant leather of his coat, her calves draped over his powerful shoulders, his head between her thighs. The thick material of his mask brushed her legs as he swirled his tongue over her most delicate inner flesh. Each pass, each skillful lick, each thoughtful nibble sent hot little jolts of delight through her body until the muscles in her thighs twitched. She could feel herself going slick and hot between the passion-swollen lips he teased so skillfully.

  “Maybe you’d like to let me…Oh, God!…return the favor…” Arial managed as her entire nervous system sparked and flamed like an erotic Fourth of July.

  “Mmmm.” He seemed to consider the question. Gave her a slow, leisurely lick. “No. No, I don’t think so.”

  She squirmed. “You’re…AH! Turning down a blow job?”

  Big hands reached up her torso to capture her breasts and pluck her nipples with sweet, relentless skill. He looked up over her body at her, his eyes glowing through the slits of his mask. “You like being in control, Sergeant.” Deliberately, he closed his teeth gently over the flesh of her thigh in a slow bite. “But so do I. And I get what I want.”

  He reached between her thighs, stroked. Found her slick opening. Slid a forefinger deep, tearing a gasp of pleasure from her mouth. “You’re ready.” It was a deep, rasping growl. “Are you ready for me, Arial?”

  She rolled her head back into the leather of his coat, gasping. “God, yes!”

  “Hmmm. That is too bad.” Another hot lick. “Because I’m not ready for you.”

  Arial arched in need even as she laughed. “Judging by the condition of that horse-choking cock, I’d say that’s a damned lie.”

  His chuckle gusted warmly over her sex. “Maybe I should rephrase—I’m not ready to stop teasing you.”

  “Sadist…” Biting her lip, she dug her bare heel into Tracker’s back as one of his big hands twirled her nipple and the other plundered her sex.

  “Oh, yeah.” He bent his head and danced his tongue over her clit. “I’m a real bastard.”

  HER legs were long and endless, her pretty pink sex creamy and slick, her hips pumping against his face. Her lovely breasts filled his hands perfectly, white and soft, except for those hard, rosy little nipples.

  Josiah could feel himself skidding out of control. His Beast was out and growling, demanding he drive into her, take her hard and fast and ruthlessly. It had been so damned long since he’d even let himself touch a woman. He shouldn’t be touching Arial now.

  But she’d done—whatever the hell she’d done, and he’d been on her before he’d known it. Fortunately, the Beast liked teasing her as much as he did, so he’d been able to slow down, regain some control.

  He gave her pussy a long, slow lick and felt her jolt against him. The Beast growled in pleasure. Maybe, God help him, it was going to be okay. Maybe he could do this without losing it…

  The problem was going to be actually fucking her. The Beast wanted in her. And so did he.

  Now. He’d do it now, while his control was still good. While he could go slowly and carefully.

  Josiah reared off her and sat back on his heels. Arial blinked up at him. To his delight, those big brown eyes looked more than a little dazed, and her lips were swollen with passion. Her gorgeous breasts heaved and danced with her hard breathing, and the soft delta between her thighs was slick from her arousal and his mouth.

  The Beast growled.

  He wanted to jerk her against him, ram inside. It took every ounce of his control to open one of the rubbers and slide it onto his aching cock.

  Then, carefully, he palmed her thighs and drew her close. Leaning down, he pressed his sheathed cock against her tight, creamy entrance. And began, slowly, so slowly, to work his way inside.

  The pleasure had him grinding his teeth as his Beast fought to ride her hard.

  ARIAL gasped at the searing delight of Tracker’s thick cock sliding inside her, inch by torturous, luscious inch. She dug her nails into the thick, tough armor covering his shoulders and stared up into his eyes. They were fierce with concentration, and glowed behind his mask, so bright they cast shadows. His teeth clenched as if he were in pain.

  She lifted her head and found his mouth. At first, he held it tight against her, but Arial wanted none of that. She licked his lips slowly, teasing him even as he drove in and out of her with that maddening control. He groaned. His lips parted and softened for her, as he began kissing her back. She growled in triumph and hooked both calves over his muscular backside, using the strong grip of her thighs to pull him closer.

  Still he pumped in and out, slow and relentless, each thrust packing delight up her spine. Almost fast enough to tip her over the edge into orgasm, but not quite. Holding back. Driving her insane.

  Arial caught his head between her hands and looked up into that glowing gaze. “More.” She licked his mouth, gently bit his plump lower lip. “Faster.”

  His eyes narrowed. A muscle in his jaw flexed. “No.”

  He drew back, braced his massive arms beside her head, and kept pumping. Slowly.

  Arial ground her teet
h.

  Just as a glowing feline head thrust from his chest, eyes feral and hot. She released Tracker’s masked head and grabbed it.

  And the tiger roared without sound.

  Tracker stiffened, his eyes going wide and blazing, his lips peeling back from his teeth.

  Then he began to fuck her. In furious, driving thrusts that had her arching against him in delight. His cock felt a yard long, impossibly thick, each stroke ruthlessly deep. Too deep. Pain shafted through her. Arial writhed, her fingers still wrapped around the tiger’s ghost head, and his thrusts gentled, moderated. Just enough. Pleasure blazed through her like a comet, and she came, screaming her delight.

  Tracker and the tiger roared together. And for a moment, it seemed Arial could feel all three of them, caught in a burning tsunami of a climax, searing and delicious and endless.

  JOSIAH collapsed over her, drained and panting. God, he’d never come like that in his life.

  Arial lay sprawled under him. She groaned softly.

  Fear stabbed him, and he jerked off her. She lay still, her dark lashes fanning her cheeks. “Arial! Did I hurt you?”

  Her eyes opened, and she gave him a slow, lazy smile. “Hell, no.”

  He rolled off her and fell on his back, weak with relief. “Shit, don’t scare me like that.”

  Arial rolled over on top of his chest. She felt no heavier than a scarf. “You should be scared. Now that I’ve had you, I’m going to want more.” Her smile was feline.

  He frowned. “That was dangerous.”

  “It didn’t feel dangerous.” Her lids lowered over those dark eyes. Flecks of amber seemed to glow in their depths. “It felt good.”

  He cupped her face in his hands. He had to make her understand. “Arial, the last woman I lost it with like that went to the hospital.”

  Dark brows lifted. “Why?”

  “When I came, I broke three of her ribs. I had an arm around her waist, and I’m so fucking strong…” He shuddered, remembering Sharon’s cry of agony. Remembered the doctor’s condemning stare after he’d rushed her to the hospital.

  A cool, soft hand touched his cheek, drawing his gaze. “You didn’t hurt me, Tracker. It was wonderful.”

  A memory flashed through his mind—the way she’d released him to grab at empty air. Pleasure had blasted through him like a lightning bolt, and the Beast had taken control. The next thing he knew, he’d been riding her like a madman. “There at the end—what did you do?”

  “I don’t know.” She gave him a cocky little smile, but it looked a little forced. “Maybe making superheroes come is my Hyper power.”

  “Well, don’t do it again. I could have hurt you.”

  Her smile broadened into a grin. “Hey, it’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

  He didn’t grin back. “I’m not.”

  THE silence that fell between them as they dressed and got back on the road was more than a little cool. Arial was surprised when Tracker broke it. “I probably sound like an old maid with all this ‘sex is dangerous’ stuff.”

  She eyed him. “Does seem a bit out of character.”

  He grimaced. “Yeah, sometimes I can’t believe I’m saying it either. Thing is, I did a lot of damage during my Transition. If I hadn’t been one of the first Hypers, I’d probably still be doing time in a Fed camp somewhere. So I’m a little paranoid about letting go.”

  “What happened?”

  He didn’t answer for so long, she was starting to think he wouldn’t. “You’ve got to understand, I’ve always been a big guy. My mama raised me to be really careful about not throwing my weight around with people weaker than me. Especially women. ‘Boy, you save it for the football field. Big ol’ bull like you could kill somebody.’”

  “You were a jock?”

  “Played ball in high school and college. Quarterback. Did pretty well. I was hoping to go pro until I blew out my knee. So I started coaching instead. Got a job at this little high school.” The hard line of his mouth softened. “God, I loved that job. My kids…Half the time, they’d start out as little pricks, all balls and testosterone. But if you were patient and worked with them long enough, you’d start seeing the man come out.”

  Fascinated, she said softly, “That must have felt really good.”

  “Oh, yeah. A couple of them went pro. One guy, everybody said he was a sure bet for prison, but he turned his life around. Got married. Has three kids and a good job now.” His grin was proud.

  Arial grinned back, only to see his smile freeze and fade.

  “Then at practice one afternoon, this little redhead walks up to me on the sidelines. I turned around, figuring she was somebody’s trailer park mama, judging by the makeup and Daisy Duke shorts. But it was Kali.” He growled the word, his eyes slitted as he glared at the road ahead.

  “The Hyper?”

  “Yeah. She touched me.” Tracker shrugged. “You know what happened next.”

  Arial remembered the arching blue light, the explosion of pain. “Boom.”

  “She ran before my assistant coaches could stop her. But that night, she showed up at my house. She enslaves Hypers, makes them do her dirty work.”

  “And she tried to take you.”

  “Yeah. And she damn near succeeded. When she grabbed my face—I’d never really believed in evil, you know? It sounds corny, but…”

  Arial remembered looking into Carl Logan’s mad black eyes the moment before he’d blown his daughter’s head off. “It doesn’t sound corny to me. What happened then?”

  “My Beast came out, and I went nuts. I wrecked the house, damn near killed her. She ran. Then the cops showed, and everything went straight to hell.”

  “Ow.” Arial winced.

  “It was like being an animal. I couldn’t think. Didn’t understand anything, didn’t even realize I wasn’t supposed to kick the nice policemen’s collective ass. I totaled a patrol car with my fists. Just beat the crap out of it. I didn’t kill anybody, but a couple guys went to the hospital. Then I ran. And kept going.”

  She stared at him in horror, trying to imagine what it must have been like. “No wonder you’re paranoid about losing control.”

  “Yeah. If Psych hadn’t come after me, I don’t know what would have happened.”

  “Psych,” Arial said slowly. She’d heard of him. “He’s the telepathic, telekinetic guy, right?”

  “Right. He was able to use his telekinesis to trap me without hurting me. Then he spent the next two months helping me get sane again. I owe him my life.” Tracker shot her a look. “That’s where we’re going. He’s agreed to help me teach you how to manage your powers.”

  “If I’ve got any.”

  He turned his attention on the road. “Oh, you’ve got ’em. It’s only a question of what they are.”

  ARIAL woke to the sight of black granite cliffs flashing past the SUV’s passenger window. She blinked sleepily and lifted her head. The sun was coming up, pinkening the indigo sky beyond the tree-covered mountains that lay like dozing animals around them. She couldn’t have been asleep long.

  Tracker turned off the main road and sent the SUV climbing up a steep gravel drive. Stones spat beneath the tires as the big truck jounced up the incline.

  A listing wooden shed waited at the top, looking as if it was going to collapse any minute. Its double doors swung silently wide at the truck’s approach, and he drove inside. The SUV’s headlights illuminated rusting tools hanging from the walls, festooned with cobwebs. Arial shot them a jaundiced look. “Where the…”

  The floor began to sink under the truck. She yelped, as the big vehicle descended into a spill of florescent light. Craning her neck to see below them, Arial realized the truck rested on some kind of hydraulic platform that was lowering them into a huge underground garage.

  When the platform stopped, Tracker pulled the SUV forward into a parking space between a delivery van and a Porsche. He turned off the engine and gave her a tight smile. “We’re here.”

  “But where
the hell is here—the Batcave?”

  His mouth curled into a dry smile as he opened the driver’s side door and went around to the back to get out her suitcase. “Something like that.”

  Arial scrambled out herself, watching the hydraulic lift rumble back up to the shed. “Interesting camouflage method. You really like your privacy, don’t you?”

  “Oh, this isn’t mine.” He started off across the garage, the bag in hand. He handled the big case as if it were weightless. “I wish I could afford a setup half this good.”

  “Don’t we all?” She hurried in his wake, eyeing their surroundings. A quick count revealed ten vehicles ranging from a nondescript sedan to a low-slung black sports car that looked like something James Bond would drive.

  They stepped out into a concrete corridor—and almost ran into a tall, broad-shouldered man. “There you are!” He gave them a charming smile and reached out to pump Tracker’s gloved hand. “You made good time.”

  “I figured we’d better, before something else went wrong.” He turned to her. “Arial, this is Psych, my best friend and the guy who saved my ass when I was in your shoes. Psych, this is Sergeant Arial Dean of the James County Sheriff’s Office.”

  They murmured greetings and shook hands, as Arial studied her host. Like Tracker, he wore a one-piece armored suit, though his was in a dark blue synthetic material that had a faint, metallic sheen. His mask was a bit more streamlined than his friend’s, not quite as suggestive of a snarling animal. Though tall, he wasn’t quite as broad as Tracker, built more like a swimmer than a heavyweight boxer. “I didn’t know you lived around here.”

  “That’s the idea.” His smile was warm and friendly, his jawline and cheekbones angular and strong. He was probably handsome underneath that mask. “I understand you’re one of us now.”

  “That’s what Tracker tells me, but—”

  A high, sweet female voice interrupted. “Keep your distance, witch.”

  Another chimed in. “He’s ours. Do not interfere, or you will regret it.”