Flames of Redemption

by Jamie A. Waters

  Lars's eyes widened. “Oh, shit. He's here in the towers?”

  “No. On the surface. Valentina spoke with him when she woke up. She seemed surprised he was here.” Sergei frowned, remembering the way her features had softened when she spoke with Nikolai. What he wouldn't give to have her look at him like that.

  “You're not surprised?”

  Sergei shrugged. He was surprised Nikolai had sent Valentina off without him. He used to keep her much closer. The distance between them had given him some hope their relationship might have degraded. He supposed it wasn't much of a surprise Nikolai was now correcting his mistake. “Not particularly. I knew a couple of our leaders would be visiting the area, but I didn't know Nikolai would be one of them. Last I heard, he was on the other side of the continent.”

  Lars was quiet for a long moment before he spoke. “You mentioned before that one of the chairmen might move to OmniLab once the construction was complete. If Nikolai's here now, maybe we can arrange to have him meet with Alec. Even if he doesn't move here, a face-to-face meeting with one of your leaders could help smooth things over.”

  Sergei arched an eyebrow, intrigued by the thought. If Nikolai consented to operating from the new tower, Valentina would also remain close. Unfortunately, that simply wasn't a possibility. “Nikolai will not come to the towers with our current level of tensions. It's too much of a security risk.”

  “What about at a neutral site? Maybe at the underground river location?”

  “Perhaps,” Sergei mused, tapping his fingers against the glass. “Nikolai wants this alliance to be successful, but I don't know if he'll agree to such a thing. He tends to take a more hands-on approach than many of our other leaders, but unless it's determined he'll take control of this facility, he is just one voice amongst many.”

  Lars nodded. “Just meeting with him might be enough to get Alec to back off. I don't know Nikolai, but I've heard he can be fair. Ruthless, but fair.”

  “That's an accurate assessment,” Sergei replied, thinking of several other colorful descriptions. Granted, he tended to be more biased than most. “I will speak with Nikolai and ask him about the meet. He'll probably be curious about Alec and the rest of your people.”

  Valentina pressed the button beside Sergei's door and darted another glance down the corridor. It was clear, but she didn't want to run into anyone she knew, especially not in her current attire. She was dressed too much like one of these Omnis. It would raise all sorts of questions she wasn't quite prepared to answer.

  Sergei opened the door, his eyes widening at the sight of her. He stepped aside, and she entered, sweeping her gaze over the functional room to make sure it was empty before walking over to his desk.

  “I need a copy of a cloned keycard,” she told him, pulling out her commlink and pressing a button to display the maps he'd sent.

  “Hello to you too, Valechka,” he murmured, brushing against her as he walked past. “I like this dress on you.”

  She ignored his comment. “Brant said they are planning to use a modified version of their existing security design for the new tower. It should give us more insight into their current security layout and how to circumvent it. Have they provided this to you yet?”

  “Only an initial proposal. I have already begun an in-depth analysis.” Sergei opened a locked drawer and pulled out a tablet and keycard, placing them both in front of her. “Would you care for a drink?”

  “Fine,” she said, activating the tablet and syncing it with her commlink to copy all his data, not just the proposal. While it was transmitting, she pulled up his maps and began comparing them with the ones on her commlink. Some of the areas on his display were highlighted in different colors with abbreviated symbols but no indication what any of them meant. He'd always used codes to identify different areas and changed them as time progressed. “These are the areas of the current towers you've mapped?”

  He made a small noise of agreement, the sound of glass clinking behind her while he pulled out a bottle. Leaning over the desk, Valentina studied the maps more closely. Part of the reason she'd agreed to come to the towers was to learn as much as possible about the Omnis and their powers. Sergei had provided Nikolai with some information, but it wasn't enough. There was still too much they didn't know. “What are these marked areas on your maps?”

  “Restricted zones,” he explained, placing a glass in front of her. He splashed some of the liquor into it and placed the bottle beside her. “How was your meeting with the security officer? Did he take you to the café he promised?”

  “Yes. It was delightful,” she replied, picking up the glass and downing it. Brant had been somewhat forthcoming with information, but it took more than just one meeting to elicit someone's full cooperation. Information gathering was a subtle art, and the most effective tactics didn't raise any suspicions.

  “They're planning to eventually connect the construction tower with their primary tower using several breezeways. This will allow their regular residents and ours to pass back and forth. The Inner Circle's tower will not be included in these plans though.”

  Sergei moved closer and leaned against the desk. “I suspected as much. Their Inner Sanctum has always been closed to their general population. I've had some flexibility in moving about because of my relationship with Lars.”

  Valentina nodded. It only reaffirmed her decision to investigate the Inner Sanctum while they still had ready access. “Brant indicated they use biometric scanners, facial recognition, and tracking devices as part of their security features. He also mentioned they're in the process of developing some sort of identifying device which can read individual electrical fields produced by the human body. It's scheduled for initial testing later this month.”

  Sergei raised an eyebrow. “He told you all this over lunch?”

  “Mmhmm. I expressed my concern over the safety of our people. He decided to alleviate my fears.” Valentina frowned, focusing once more on the maps. Having Sergei this close was throwing her off-balance. She pointed to the areas he'd marked as restricted. “Tell me about these zones.”

  “We cannot access those areas with OmniLab's current security setup,” Sergei began, leaning over close enough she could feel the heat from his body against hers. He pointed out several locations and added, “I was only able to manually map out the surrounding areas. We installed backdoors on their system during our initial occupation of the towers, but they had safeguards preventing access to their higher security areas.”

  She took a deep breath, inhaling his alluring, spicy scent. Even if she were blind and deaf, she'd still know he was close by his scent alone. Sergei picked up the bottle of liquor, tipping it until her glass was refilled.

  Struggling to resist the urge to lean into him, Valentina focused again on his tablet. “What about using a drone? Could we send one through a vent?”

  “Perhaps,” he agreed, putting down the bottle and resting his hand on her lower back as he continued to study the map. “I believe there may be ventilation shafts that are accessible, but we may have to drop the drones from different floors. It will require a coordinated effort to maneuver them.”

  She picked up her drink again, tossing it back. His touch was more than a little distracting. “You know the layout better. Which of these areas would be best to target first?”

  Sergei began stroking her back with his thumb through the thin material of her dress, sending a small shiver through her. With his other hand, he tapped the screen and enlarged one of the areas. “This one. I suspect this is where they have one of their classified research facilities. We may be able to get additional information about their abilities or technology from this location. Based on what we discover, we can then perform a risk assessment to determine the next area to target.”

  Valentina nodded, accepting the validity of his statement. “Do you have a drone here? Or do I need to request one?”

  “I will take care of it,” he said, his hand continuing to slide downward.
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br />   She turned around, pressing her hand against his chest. “What are you doing?”

  Pinning her against the desk, he gave her a devilish smile. “I thought it was obvious, Valechka.”

  “You think I came here to fuck you?” she demanded, her heart thudding in her chest.

  “Did you not?” Sergei reached down to run his hands up her thighs and pushed her dress upward. Her breath hitched slightly as he pressed his hardened length against her core. Leaning in closer, he ran his nose against her neck, inhaling deeply. His hot breath fanned against her neck as he whispered, “You could have called me and asked me to meet you, but you came here to my quarters. Why else would you have done that?”

  Valentina closed her eyes, tilting her head to give him better access. He pressed a kiss against her neck and nibbled at her earlobe. Biting back a moan, she ran her hands over his muscular chest. He knew her so well. Ever since that kiss in the medical ward, she'd wanted another taste of him.

  “I hope you are not fond of these panties,” he murmured, hooking his thumbs through the waistband. “Because I intend to rip them off you.”

  She heard a tear, and the cool air swirled around her most intimate parts. He lifted her on top of the desk, moving between her thighs, and unhooked his pants. Grabbing his face, she yanked him toward her so she could taste him again. He was more than happy to oblige, his tongue entangling with hers as their kiss took on a life of its own. She needed him. Now.

  Wrapping her legs around his waist, Valentina pulled him against her. A moment later, he thrust inside her welcoming heat. She gasped at the sudden intrusion and the sense of rightness at having him inside her. It still wasn't enough. She needed more. Whether she said the words or he instinctively knew, it didn't matter. Gripping her hips, Sergei gave into her wordless demand and began pounding into her. She scored her nails down his back, urging him to go faster.

  He did, and she became nothing more than pure primal sensation. All coherent thought evaporated, until she only existed in the place between need and desire. He kept his mouth over hers, swallowing her screams, keeping up his relentless pace. When she finally broke apart in his arms, he planted himself deeply, groaning his release.

  Sergei dropped his head against her shoulder, turning his head to kiss her neck, and pulled her even tighter against him. She panted, trying to catch her breath, and ran her hands up his strong arms to encircle them around his neck. He lifted his head to look down at her and pressed himself deeper inside her. She inhaled sharply at the movement, and his eyes twinkled in awareness of the effect he had on her. “Do you still want to claim you only came here for a keycard, Valechka?”

  Valentina threw back her head and laughed. God, she had missed him. He pulled out of her, reaching for a nearby shirt and cleaned himself off her.

  Hopping off the desk, she smoothed down her dress and picked up the keycard and her commlink. She slipped them into one of her makeshift pockets. “The keycard was one of the reasons I came, but not the only one.”

  Sergei arched an eyebrow, a smug smile on his face. Valentina eyed him up and down, biting her lower lip in appreciation. He really was a gorgeous specimen of a man.

  She ran a fingernail lightly down his chest. “But the real reason was because I had to see whether or not this list of yours was worth it.”

  His smile faded, a question in his eyes. “My list?”

  “Mmhmm,” she agreed with a mischievous smile. “If there is only one name on the list of people I can fuck, I had to see if it was worth it.”

  “And?” he demanded, taking a step toward her.

  She patted his cheek affectionately. “You know I will never tell, Seryozha.”

  Without waiting for a response, she sashayed out of the room, pleased she'd gotten the upper hand in that round.

  Chapter Six

  Valentina rolled over in bed and continued to read the notes she'd stolen from Sergei's tablet. Most of them were fairly standard, although the additional information he'd gathered about the Inner Circle was interesting. It was easy to understand why so many of the Coalition had difficulty believing their abilities were anything more than exaggerated descriptions or outright superstition. Sergei hadn't been able to discover nearly enough about how their talents worked. Either that, or he simply hadn't committed the information onto his tablet.

  She pressed a button to cycle through to the next set of information and groaned. This was even more dull. It was a collection of materials and supplies needed to complete the current construction phase of the tower. How many nails did one tower need? She shoved the tablet aside, thumping her head against the soft mattress. Inactivity wasn't her strong suit. Maybe she should send the supply list to Yuri and try to convince him to look through it instead.

  A soft noise caught her attention. She cocked her head to listen, but there was no other sound. Aha. Sergei wanted to play again. He was the only one she knew who could move that silently.

  She grinned and slid off the bed, pulling off her dress and dropping it on the floor outside the closed bathroom door to make it appear as though she'd disrobed before going in. Keeping her movements silent, she headed toward the shelving unit on the far side of the room where she'd stashed some weapons. Crouching down, she put her commlink beside her, pulled out one of the knives, and prepared to wait. Her angled position would give her a clear view of Sergei once he approached either the bed or bathroom.

  Ten minutes later, she was still waiting. No other sounds had reached her ears, but it was the absence of noise that made her even more confident Sergei was somewhere nearby. That, and an almost surreal awareness of him. She could feel him close, almost within touching distance, even though he hadn't entered the room yet.

  The air pressure shifted, indicating the door had opened. Finally. Waiting expectantly for him to make a move, her muscles tensed.

  A moment later, the room plunged into darkness. Valentina grinned. Now they were both temporarily blind, but she would have the advantage in this scenario. She knew where he was coming from, but he didn't have the same knowledge. Focusing on each of her senses while her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, she tried to detect any movement, noises, or scents—no matter how minute.

  Her commlink buzzed on the floor, and she resisted the urge to swear. Rolling forward, she narrowly dodged his grip and dove to the other side of the room. She scrambled up and over the bed, but he was too fast. He grabbed her, tossing her back onto the bed, and held her wrists over her head.

  “You cheated,” she accused, not terribly upset by this new position.

  “Since when do we have rules?” He chuckled, nuzzling her neck, and placed a small kiss against it. “You should have turned off your commlink.”

  “Maybe I wanted to be caught,” Valentina suggested and hooked one of her legs over him, making his position even more interesting. She arched her back, and he inhaled sharply as she pressed against him. Releasing her wrists, he ran his hands down her arms, and she twisted her body slightly. He rolled over, taking her with him so she was straddling him. His gray eyes darkened with desire as he reached up to cup her breasts through her bra, rubbing his thumbs over her hardened nipples.

  Valentina bent down to kiss him, getting lost for a moment in the softness of his lips and the intriguing contrast between them and the hardness of the rest of his body. Sergei gripped her hips, holding her in place as she tasted and explored his mouth. Her hair fell in a curtain around his face, obscuring his vision and she reached out, her hand wrapping around the knife she'd hidden under a pillow. She nipped his bottom lip and flicked her tongue against it. With a groan, he fisted his hand in her hair as he began to consume her mouth.

  She kissed him a moment longer and then trailed the flat of the blade lightly down his chest. He froze, and his mouth curved upward against hers. “Ah, Valechka. I suppose you win this round.”

  She laughed, pressing another kiss against his lips before rolling away from him. “I was hoping you would stop by to play.”


  He propped himself up on his elbows, watching while she picked up her dress from the floor and shimmied back into it. “I received your… invitation, but it took me longer than I expected to get away.”

  “Oh?” Valentina arched an eyebrow, unsurprised he'd noticed the data theft from his tablet. After all, she'd been rather obvious in her efforts. But she was more curious about what had delayed him. She paused, biting her lip and considering him thoughtfully. If they didn't need to get to work, she wouldn't mind a few more delays as long as they both ended up naked.

  He grinned, the heated look in his eyes making it obvious he was considering the same thing. “Yes. I got called into a meeting. After that, I decided I would punish you by making you read my construction notes.”

  Valentina wrinkled her nose at him. “How can you read such drivel? Does it not become tedious?”

  He chuckled, putting his hands behind his head. “Yes. That's why I had Pavel do much of it. Now that he's gone, I will need to find and train a new second-in-command.”

  She tilted her head to study him. “Have you given any thought to potential candidates?”

  “Some.”

  Valentina reached down to pick up her shoes and slipped them back on her feet. “With everything that has happened, Nikolai will want to review your list before you make a selection.”

  “So I assumed,” he said in a detached tone.

  Her eyes flew to him, but his expression was carefully blank. She narrowed her eyes at him. “What's wrong?”

  Sergei sat up. “Valentina, have you ever considered leaving Nikolai's service? You have enough experience to take on your own command. Or there are other options.”