by Lili Zander
12
Nero
The most potent effects of the anthurium wear off in twenty minutes. It takes the same amount of time for Lin Perscule to notice that his drones have been hacked. I’ve just managed to stagger to my feet when he comes running up, a squadron of Jowth soldiers behind him. “Are you alright?” he gasps, his chest heaving as he tries to catch his breath. “What happened?”
Rage boils in my blood. “This is your so-called life debt?” I snarl. “Five soldiers appeared, shot me with anthurium, and kidnapped Raven.” I have to get back to the Valiant. We need to find Raven. I have no idea where to start looking for her, but Saber and Zeke might. They’re usually full of good ideas. “Where’s Zeke?”
“He went to your ship.”
I set off in a slow, uncoordinated run. Perscule catches up with me in five minutes. He’s driving a skimmer. “Get in,” he says, handing me a small bottle. “It’s the neutralizer.”
I get in. “How does the Constellation of Jowth have access to an antidote for one of our most secret weapons?”
He shrugs. “You spy on us, we spy on you.” He pulls into the spaceport, and I jump off and rush up the Valiant’s ramp. Perscule follows me.
Saber and Zeke are both clustered around workstations, looking worried. When they see me, relief fills their faces. Then they realize that Raven’s not with me. “What happened?”
“She’s been kidnapped.” Hot shame floods me. I’d been so busy flirting with her that I let my guard down. She’s gone because of me. If something were to happen to her…
“Hold it together,” Saber orders. “Who took her? How many of them were there? Describe them.”
I make myself calm down. “There were five of them. All human. Dressed in black. Two women, three guys. Professional soldiers, from the way they held themselves. They had guns and anthurium.”
“Guns?” Perscule’s fur stands on end. “And the drones didn’t flag them. Fuck. This is a major breach.”
“They didn’t want to kill me. They just wanted Raven.”
Zeke steeples his fingers. “We decided to land on Antaras Seven only after Gratvar took out our long-range communications. That was slightly over twenty-two hours ago.”
“Got it.” Lin Perscule gets on his comm. “I want a list of all human arrivals on Antaras Seven in the last twenty-two hours.”
The list shows up in five minutes. I spend them pacing back and forth in the small recreation room of the Valiant. When it arrives, I jump forward, desperately glad to be doing something, anything.
A man’s face jumps out at me. It’s the soldier who shot me. “Him. He’s one of them.”
Perscule peeps over my shoulder. “They came on a migrant ship,” he says. “Landed four hours ago.”
“Migrant ship?” Saber asks.
“The upcoming war’s making people nervous,” Perscule answers. “Especially humans. You know the saying. Whenever vampires fight, humans lose. They’ve been pouring into the Constellation ever since Astrid announced her intentions.”
“Humans are the reason the Empress is cleaning the Uncharted Reaches,” Saber grits out. “Astrid wants to help them.”
Perscule rolls his eyes. “Don’t be willfully blind, Hafsson; you’re too smart for it. Humans have no reason to believe anything a vampire tells them. The Empire of Shayde has squandered the goodwill of humans. Astrid needs to earn it back.”
Saber clenches his fists and then unclenches them. “You’re right. We need to be better.”
Zeke’s fingers are flying over his keyboard. “Fake identities,” he murmurs. “Given time, I can uncover who they are.”
We don’t have time. I turn back to Perscule. “Someone hacked your drone network. Maybe we can start there. Find out what areas of the port the drones weren’t recording, and maybe that’ll lead us to the kidnappers?”
The Jowth shakes his head. “That’s a dead end. Every drone on the planet went down for twenty minutes.”
“Okay, that’s a start.” I project a map of Antaras Seven on the wall and center it over the Falls of Kamut. “They needed twenty minutes to get to their destination. They shut down the drones so we couldn’t track them.” I draw a circle on the map. It includes two spaceports. My gut tightens. What if Raven is already gone? If she’s in space, we’ll never be able to find her.
What if she’s already dead?
Panic flares in my gut. “I’ve shut down the spaceports,” Lin Perscule says, accurately interpreting my expression. “Whoever they are, they’re stuck on Antaras Seven.”
“It’s not enough,” Zeke snaps. “Damn it, Lin. Don’t you take precautions? Who the fuck is skilled enough to take down your entire drone network?”
“You are, for one.” Lin types something on his comm and gets to his feet. “I’ve just given word for that area to be cordoned off. I’ll get my soldiers ready. We’ll go door-to-door. We’ll find her.”
There’s a knock at the door. I look up, and my heart skips a beat. Raven’s standing there. “No need,” she says. “I’m right here.”
13
Raven
Great Spirit, they were worried about me. I knew they’d be concerned, of course. I knew they cared. But somehow, seeing their expressions of heartfelt relief really brings it home.
Ever since we left Boarus 4, there’s been a wall between us. Enough. I’m ready to burn it to the ground. These are my vampires. They care about me, and I care about them. I don’t want to stew forever in my hurt feelings. I want to move on past the mistrust. I want them in my bed, and I want them in my life.
Saber strides toward me and envelops me in his arms, his breath catching in a hitch. Lin Perscule takes it as a cue to leave. “Fill me in later,” he says to Zeke as he makes his way to the Valiant’s exit. “I want to know who hacked into my systems.”
The moment he’s gone, Zeke turns to me. He puts his hand on mine. “Who took you?” he asks grimly. “How did you get away?”
“It was Ragnar.” I pull out the box containing our fake identities and hand it to Zeke. “He wanted a pint of my blood.”
“Did he hurt you?” Fury dances in Nero’s eyes. “Prince or not, if he touched you, I will end him.”
“No.” I shake my head immediately. “He was very polite. He said he’d take care of the children on the Ruby Rose. His soldiers escorted me back.” Worry gnaws at me. “Just as we were leaving, Ragnar was attacked.”
“He was?” Saber’s voice betrays his tension. “How many people?”
“Six vampires. They had swords, not guns.”
“Fuck. Is that why he let you go?”
I think back to my strange encounter with the prince. Now’s not the time to tell Saber, Zeke, and Nero about Ragnar propositioning me. “No. He said that if he hurt me, it would antagonize you, and he didn’t want to do that.”
Saber barks a laugh. “It would more than antagonize me.” He types a message into his comm, and when he gets a reply, he exhales in relief. “He’s fine. ”
Phew. Thank the Spirit. “He also told me to tell you that the job offer is still open. What job offer?”
Saber shrugs. “It’s just something he mentioned on Boarus 4. Astrid wants to put me on the Ruling Council.”
My mouth falls open. After everything that happened to Saber’s grandfather, this should be the culmination of everything Saber’s worked toward his entire life. Yet somehow, he’s acting like it’s not a big deal at all.
“You knew that, and you still stole the Valiant?”
“If doing the right thing makes me ineligible for a Council seat, I don’t want it.” He thinks about what he said. “Actually, I don’t want the seat at all. I loathe politics.”
“But you’re good at it,” Zeke says.
Saber looks severely at the other man. “That is not a compliment, Zeke.”
Zeke starts to laugh, and so do I. Saber cracks a grin. Nero, on the other hand, doesn’t say anything.
Poor Nero. He was already upset abou
t freezing up. We’d just moved on past that when Ragnar’s soldiers came for me. It doesn’t take a mind-reader to know he’s blaming himself.
Which is garbage. What happened wasn’t Nero’s fault. “I’m going to shower,” I tell him. “Join me.” I turn to Saber and Zeke. “You can too, if you’d like.”
Saber gives me a warmly appreciative smile. “The Jowth installed long-range comms,” he says. “Why don’t you shower with Nero, and Zeke and I will pilot the ship and set course for Merin?”
So he knows what I’m trying to do. Of course, he does. Saber is never stupid, and I’m not that subtle. I turn back to Nero. “Coming?”
Nero’s face remains an expressionless mask. “Okay.”
The moment we’re alone, I give him an exasperated glance. “Stop it, please.”
He doesn’t pretend like he doesn’t know what I’m talking about. “I screwed up. Again.”
“Ragnar sent six humans with guns. You had to surrender your weapons at the spaceport. If you’d fought, you would have died. There was no way you were walking out alive from that situation.” I move closer to him, put my hands on his chest, and tip my face up. “I’m glad you’re alive.”
He clenches his eyes shut. “I’m glad you’re alive too.”
Okay, he’s talking. That’s progress. “You promised to pleasure me.” I run my hands down his muscled forearms. He could snap me like a twig, but he won’t. He put his life on the line today for me. Had Ragnar’s soldiers not paralyzed him, he would have fought them with his bare hands. All to protect me. “Are you going to keep your promise?”
I really want Nero right now.
“Raven…”
I grab his hands and place them on my breasts. Cannot get more direct than that. “The next words from your mouth better be: of course, I always keep my promises.”
A smile ghosts over his face. His hands squeeze my flesh; his fingers brush over my nipples. The darkness in his eyes is chased away by heat. “Of course.” He bends his head and brushes a kiss over my lips. “I always keep my promises.”
So far, every time I’ve slept with the vampires, it’s been with all three of them. This is different. It’s just Nero and me now. All his focus is on me, and all my focus is on him, and it just feels more intense.
Nero picks up on my thoughts. “You thinking this is weird without the others?”
“Not weird. Just… new.”
He takes off his shirt in one fluid motion. His gorgeous, sculpted, chest comes into view. “All this pressure,” he says, his lips twitching. “How will I manage?”
I can’t breathe. Lust short-circuits my brain. “Somehow, I don’t get the sense you’re worried.”
He laughs. Picking me up as if I weighed nothing, he carries me into the freshroom. He pushes me against the wall, and looms over me, his arms caging me in. “I don’t want to rip your dress,” he growls.
“Liar.” That’s exactly what he wants to do. I can see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice.
Nero smiles at me. “You’re right; I don’t care what happens to your dress.” He bends his head. His lips graze the side of my face. His voice is a warm whisper that tickles my skin. “Get naked for me, Raven.”
Goosebumps erupt on my bare arms. I wriggle away from his grasp and take off my dress and my underthings. I don’t remove the pendant he bought for me though. The blue jewel stays nestled in the hollow of my neck.
His gaze sears me. “Very nice,” he purrs.
Desire blooms in my core, and I squirm with restless need. Nero presses me against the wall again, and the plasteel is cool on my skin. “For two days, I’ve laid in bed, wanting you. Fantasizing about you.”
“Did you touch yourself?” I ask him. I don’t know where my boldness is coming from. Maybe it’s from the sheer intensity of his desire. At this moment, Nero’s entire attention is focused on me. There’s nowhere else he wants to be. No one else he wants to be with. Just me. It’s exhilarating. “Did you fist your cock?”
He huffs a laugh. “I’m not the one with a private bedroom, sweetness.” His gaze collides with mine. “Did you?” He sucks one of my nipples into his mouth, and a wave of pleasure washes over me. My knees buckle, but he’s not letting me go anywhere. “Did you squeeze your breasts?” His fingers find my other nipple, and he rolls the engorged nub between his thumb and forefinger. “Tell me.”
“No.” I wrap my hands around his ass and pull him closer to me. I want to feel his erection. “I was too impatient. I just went straight to it.” I reach for the fastening on his pants. “Take these off.”
He kisses the side of my neck. A smile dances over his lips. “I don’t think so, baby. This isn’t going to be a quickie. We have all day, and I’m going to make it count.” He nips my earlobe, and my insides liquefy. “I’m going to make you so aroused you can’t remember your name,” he growls. “I’m going to make you beg for your release.”
“If that’s supposed to be a threat, you’re really bad at this.”
He chuckles, and then his eyes turn serious. “I love you like this,” he says. “Do you remember when we first met? You were too afraid to say a word to us. Your eyes would flare with anger, but you kept all of that rage suppressed.”
“I had to stay alive.”
“I know. You did what you had to do. I understand.” He kisses me, slow and soft. “But I’m really glad I get to see you. All of you. The bits you’ve kept hidden your entire life. I’m happy I met this Raven. The one who isn’t afraid to challenge us. Who isn’t shy about asking for what she wants. The woman on Boarus 4…” He moves onto my shoulder, pressing small, nibbling kisses on the curve of my neck. “I was attracted to her, and I wanted to help her. But this Raven…” He cups my breasts in his hands and returns his attention to my nipples. “The real Raven is someone I could fall in love with.”
I freeze. “Love?”
His green eyes rest on me. “Are you really that surprised?”
Umm, yes. They are vampires. I am human. They are decorated soldiers. I am a poor miner. The difference between us is vast. I don’t understand why they’re with me. I asked Zeke if they were making sure I didn’t kill a bunch of vampires in a huff, but he bluntly told me that was the stupidest thing he’d ever heard.
So that theory’s been struck off the list. I have two more hypotheses though. I try one of them on Nero now. “It’s the effects of my blood,” I tell him. “I’ve been thinking about it. Something about the virus attracts vampires. That’s why Olaf Vander couldn’t stop drinking from me. That’s why the three of you are attracted to me.”
Nero bursts out laughing. The always-sexy dimple makes an appearance on his chin. “That’s a ridiculous theory. No magic virus is responsible for my feelings.”
Okay. So much for that.
“Come here,” he says, his face turning serious. He puts his finger on my chin and tilts up my face. I kiss him, long and slow, not wanting to analyze this further. Not right now, anyway. Nero’s half-naked, and I want him too much.
For a few breathless moments, nothing matters except for the way his mouth feels on me. His tongue thrusts into me, hard then soft, predatory, then teasing. He seduces me and claims me, and I rub my body against his as if I’m imprinting on his skin and kiss him back. The fog of lust thickens. “Nero, please…”
He kicks off his pants. I undo my braids. Lifting me up, he carries me into the shower, putting me down gently. He turns the water on, and steam fills the stall. He gives me a wicked smile. “Now, I have something to prove here, don’t I?”
His voice promises sin. He steps into the shower. A warm deluge drenches both of us. My hair is plastered against my skull. Drops of water cling to Nero’s skin and drip down his body. I drop my eyes and feast my gaze on his thick, hard, cock.
Lust throbs through my veins. Nero smirks at my response. His fist closes over his dick. My entire body prickles in anticipation. “That’s not fair.”
His lips twitch. “What are you going to
do about it?”
I close the distance between us. Nero wraps his hand around the back of my neck, tilting my head up. Then his lips find mine again.
My nipples pebble in arousal. Nero notices. He squeezes my breasts and pinches the aching tips, then he sucks one into his mouth. “Nero,” I whimper as a surge of intense need rolls over me. “Keep doing that.”
His erection nudges my belly. I rub against him, desperately wanting him inside me. Forget the shower; it can wait. My need can’t.
“Whatever you want, Raven.” He pays each hardened peak a generous amount of attention, rolling them between his thumbs and forefingers, nibbling them with his teeth, teasing them with his tongue. By the time he’s done, I sag against him, lust weakening my knees.
“Raven,” he breathes, his voice reverent. “I want you so much.” He strokes me, caressing my curves, palming my ass. His fingers slide into my pussy, and I gasp, the sound muffled against his lips.
“I want to do something.” I wrap my fingers around his erection, and he groans, his face contorting with lust. I smile at him, loving the wild gleam in his eyes. Then I sink to my knees and take him into my mouth.
Nero throws his head back. “Ah, Raven. You don’t have to.”
“I want to.” I lick up the length of him, keeping my fingers wrapped around his shaft. “You told me you’re falling in love with me. This seems the least I can do in return.”
He closes his eyes and leans back against the wall. “Had I known this is what you were going to do,” he quips, “I’d have said it much sooner.”
His hand clenches in my hair, encouraging me to take him deeper in my mouth. I’m so turned on at his reaction. The water rains down on us; I barely notice. I establish a rhythm, alternating delicate licks with harder suction. His breath is jagged, and his cock stiffens in my mouth. “Fuck,” he groans. “What are you doing to me?”
What he’s always done to me. Make me go out of my mind with lust.
