Sage

by Shiloh Walker

  She reached up and placed a hand on the barrier Miguel had erected. “Miguel, take this down.”

  Sage growled a warning at Miguel but Anni just glared at him before turning her eyes to Miguel. “Just restrain him, Miguel. He can’t teleport with you restraining him.”

  Miguel looked from one to the other. “Hell, I’m with Kelly on this one, pal. Don’t pull me into a lover’s spat. She’s not a weakling, Sage.”

  Sage felt the crackle of energy in the air as the shield dissolved and then the kinetic energy refocused. It reformed around the lieutenant, a retraining band that bound his arms and hands.

  “No. I’m not a weakling,” Anni repeated. “And I’m starting to think that’s what this entire thing was about. He wanted a way in, but he had to be sure…didn’t you?”

  The lieutenant smiled, flicking a glance toward Kelly. “And our intelligence said she was the empath.”

  Anni crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself. “What do you want with us?”

  The lieutenant just continued to stare at her with that smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “It’s time for us to stop fighting separate battles—we need to join forces.”

  * * * * *

  Okay, if it was up to Sage and Miguel, the bastard would be dead.

  Even Kelly kept sending him looks of acute dislike, but she couldn’t give either of the men a solid reason to kill him. She’d touched her hand to him, very briefly, but it had been long enough to determine one critical piece of information.

  He wasn’t lying.

  His name was Misha. He’d been reared in the underground but had been living a double life in the military for years. Everything made sense, too much sense for them to completely toss aside everything he said.

  The attacks on the underground—it had been long suspected that there were spies in the military who fed the rebels the information they needed to evade capture, time and time again.

  Finally, they left Misha alone, trapped in one of Miguel’s kinetic shields that confined Misha to a space roughly four feet across. They headed for the office, tucked in a small room at the back of the house, as far from their unexpected guest as they could get.

  “I would just as soon fry him as look at him,” Miguel said bluntly the minute the door slid shut behind him.

  Sage bared his teeth in a grim smile. “I’m all for seeing the bastard dead, but I’d rather use my bare hands.”

  Across from them, Anni stood staring out a huge window, her eyes roaming sightlessly over the rolling acres of trees and mountains. There was a small part of her that didn’t want to see that guy suffer. The rest of her was kept imagining what it would be like to see Sage or Miguel get their hands on him.

  Might not be logical—he had kept them from hurting her far worse. He had brought her water to drink, to clean up with. But he had also handed her over to them. She had bruises on her flesh because of him.

  But…blowing out a breath, she said, “And if he’s telling the truth? We’ve been trying to get word to those in charge for years. Every time Morgan thinks he’s made a successful contact, a new one shows up. They don’t want us getting close. If this is for real…”

  Kelly interrupted, her voice flat and dull, “Oh, it’s for real. He’s not lying. And for what it’s worth, he was seriously against everything that happened.”

  Sage snarled, muttering under his breath as he spun away to pace.

  Kelly smiled a little. “I’m not overly impressed with him either. But he…he’s a soldier. We follow orders, and sometimes we don’t like them.”

  “If that’s the kind of army the underground has made, then we’re better off without them,” Sage said, his voice tight with anger.

  Still staring out the window, Anni said, “No. We aren’t. We need them. Damn it, Sage, they managed to infiltrate the Army. That’s like infiltrating the inner offices of the Federated President. We haven’t been able to do that, at least not successfully. None of our people last very long in the military.”

  Miguel murmured, “Well, that’s true enough.” He’d served a few years. Gotten out as soon as his contract expired and it was a wonder he’d made it out without killing himself or somebody else. Or worse…if the Army had realized they’d had an unknown Firewalker among their ranks.

  Well, rumor had it the Firewalkers who were discovered were offered only one choice. They could work for the Feds. If they refused, they became just the next body in a long line of executions.

  “Look, we can’t make this decision on our own,” Kelly said, blowing her bangs out of her eyes.

  “There’s no decision to make,” Sage said, his voice a low, menacing whisper. “You all wait here. I’ll handle this.”

  Both Kelly and Anni studied him with somber eyes. “Sage…you can’t.” Anni crossed the floor, her arms crossed over her chest, her face pale and unhappy. She moved until they were close enough to touch, until just scant inches separated the two. “You think I don’t want to hurt somebody for what happened? I do.” She lifted her hands, flexing them. The ivory tips of her claws had slid through the narrow slits of her gloves and she whispered, “I want to hurt somebody. I want to hurt him. I want it so bad, I can almost taste it.”

  Then she shook her head. “But can we let that interfere with what could be a chance to level the playing field? Sage, there are rumors that the underground population has reached into the millions. And that they are trained. Trained like Jax has been training us. We could become a real army. We could finally have the numbers to do more than just these little shots in the dark.”

  She stilled as Sage reached out, brushing his thumb over the fading bruise on her cheek. “There were other ways, Anni. If this guy is for real, there were other ways to get our attention.”

  Faintly, she smiled, shaking her head. “It’s not our attention they wanted. It was credibility—he’s in a place where he is surrounded by those who hate us, those who are willing to do anything for their bloody cause. We know the government has men and women who have betrayed us. He had to make sure he was dealing with the right people.”

  * * * * *

  Sage lay on the couch, staring up at the ceiling as sleep continued to elude him.

  Their prisoner was currently sleeping on the floor in the kitchen, trapped inside one of Miguel’s shields. He seemed perfectly at ease with that, and had yet to ask any of them if they’d consider just getting rid of the shields. That bothered Sage even more. Misha hadn’t once tried to convince them they should trust him, hadn’t offered apologies that he knew weren’t welcome, hadn’t made any excuses.

  It was that stoic acceptance that Sage hated more than anything. Because it made Sage believe him more.

  He didn’t want to believe him.

  He wanted to kill him. Every time he remembered the bruises on Anni’s flesh, the need just got stronger.

  But it didn’t look like they were going to get a chance.

  After the four of them had spoken, they’d sent a coded transmission to Jax. His relay back—Jax would be there in the morning with Caris. The final decision would be made come morning, but Sage already knew the outcome.

  Like it or not, this bastard was an ally.

  “Can’t sleep?”

  He jerked a little, that soft, quiet voice startled him. Anni stood in the doorway, leaning against it, her eyes unreadable.

  “Ah…no. No, I can’t.” And Sage was pretty certain he wouldn’t ever sleep. In fact, he was going to die. Right there.

  Anni was wearing that red silk nightgown. It glowed like a jewel against her creamy skin, clinging to the soft curves of her breasts, the flat plane of her belly, skimming over her hips and ending high on her thighs.

  “Me, neither.” She glanced toward the spot on the floor where Miguel lay sleeping and she held out her hand, waiting patiently.

  Sage wasn’t sure he could stand, much less walk upright. He had the hard-on from hell, but from the calm look in her eyes, he suspected Anni would continue to
just stand there until he got up and followed her.

  He rolled to his feet and walked over to her. Her gaze dropped and he felt his cock jerk under her stare. He could feel that look almost as if she had touched him. Ignoring her hand, he padded out of the living room and down the hall. She moved past him and he closed his eyes, praying for strength as she headed for his room.

  The moment the door slid shut behind him, Sage knew he was going to need more than strength. He needed sanity. He needed oxygen flowing to his brain. Right now, all of his blood seemed to have flooded his loins and his dick was so damn hard, he ached with it.

  Anni stood just a few feet away, staring at him with those dark gray eyes. Her tongue slid out, licking her lips and Sage had to fist his hands at his sides to keep from reaching for her.

  “This is your bedroom,” she whispered, glancing around. “You shouldn’t have to sleep on the floor.”

  Sage blinked. Then he shoved a hand through his hair, fisting it at the nape and tugging. He had hoped the light pain would clear his mind, but it didn’t work. With a ragged sigh, Sage turned away from her, moving a few feet away and resting his forehead against the wall. “Anni, if I climbed into that bed, sleep would be the last thing on my mind.”

  Her hand reached out, trailing over the muscles in his back. Squeezing his eyes shut, Sage wondered what in hell he’d done to deserve this kind of torture. Then she leaned forward, molding her body against his back, her breasts pressing flat, her arms wrapping around his waist. She kissed his shoulder and whispered quietly, “Sleep isn’t on my mind, either.”

  His hands came up, covering hers. “You better be sure you mean that. If you don’t…stop touching me and go to sleep.”

  She didn’t stop touching him. Instead, she slid one of her hands away from his and cupped his cock through his trousers. “I don’t want to sleep, Sage.”

  Control shattered. Clenching his jaw, he rasped quietly, “Step back.” Her hands fell away slowly and the minute her body wasn’t touching his, he whirled. Reaching out, he grabbed her and hauled her against him, taking her mouth in a rough, demanding kiss as he jerked her nightgown up, reaching between her thighs and finding her naked.

  And wet—she rocked her hips against him and the slick folds of her pussy slid across his fingers, coating them with hot, sweet honey. Keeping her pressed against him with one arm, he turned, walking her back to the wall. He let go of her just long enough to shove his pants down and then he lifted her. Her legs wound around his waist, he pushed inside, and both of them cried out.

  She clamped around him like a hot, tight fist and as he pulled out, she clung to him, the tiny little muscles in her sheath vising down like she wanted to keep him locked inside her for always.

  “Look at me,” he panted, staring down into her face.

  Her lashes lifted, revealing eyes gone smoky with desire. “Say my name,” he whispered as he pulled out, pushed back in.

  A slow smile curved her lips and she murmured, “Sage…” The sound was like a purr, stroking down his spine, tightening his balls, driving him insane. Already, he felt the need to come and he throttled it down, determined to hear her scream out in climax before he shattered.

  He shifted, turning around and pressing his back to the wall. With his hands clamped around her waist, he lifted her up, let her slide down. His muscles flexed, sweat gleamed on his body. The silk of her nightgown hid her breasts and he almost reached up and tore it away.

  “Take your nightgown off.” She leaned back a little and her lashes fluttered as her weight pressed him even deeper inside. Her back arched, lifting her breasts, as she reached for the hem and stripped the silk away. It fell to the floor and she leaned back into him. “Ride me,” he rasped as he bent his head and caught one pink nipple in his mouth.

  Her thighs tightened as she started to move slowly up and down his length. Each slow thrust was like a glide of satin perfection—she gloved him so tightly, fit him so perfectly. The silken folds of her pussy were dewy and wet, clinging to his cock even as she rocked up and down.

  Pulling up, he leaned his head back against the wall and filled his eyes with the sight of her taking him. Watched as his cock disappeared into her sheath, as the muscles in her thighs worked when she slid back up. Her knees hugged his hips and Sage cupped her ass in his hands, keeping her rhythm slow and steady when she tried to speed up.

  Her breathing caught, a flush spreading upward from her breasts. Her head fell back and Sage leaned forward, raking his teeth over the exposed line of her neck. Her pussy clenched around him as she shuddered and cried out, “Sage…please…”

  Taking her to the floor, he draped her thighs over his and cupped her ass in his hands. His cock swelled as he started to fuck her slowly, staring down, watching where they joined. The flesh of her sex was stretched wide around him and his cock gleamed from the cream of her body.

  He pressed his thumb against her clit and began to stroke it with fast, firm little circles that had her clenching around him. Anni thrashed her head back and forth on the floor, arching upward. Levering up over her, Sage caught her legs and hooked them over his forearms just before planting his hands on the floor behind her head.

  As he plunged deep inside, she screamed out his name, clenching around him. “I need you,” Sage rasped, holding her gaze with his. “I always have. And if we keep this up, I may never let you go.”

  Anni’s eyes widened. He lowered his head, kissing her gently, slowly, even as he shafted her with fast, deep digs of his cock. “Scream for me, Anni. Say my name…”

  His name was a long, broken moan on her lips. Sage slowed his strokes, staring into her face from hooded eyes, watching as her irises darkened almost to black. Her nipples were diamond-hard, stabbing into his chest.

  Sliding out, Sage released one of her legs. Then he smoothed his hand over her hip and cupped the curve of her ass. He squeezed tightly and pulled, separating the taut flesh of her cheeks.

  As he pushed against the puckered hole of her ass with one finger, he whispered, “Scream…”

  Then the tip of his finger penetrated her and she did scream—a harsh, breathless sound.

  Working his finger deeper, Sage slammed into her again, and she climaxed around him, her pussy clenching down, gripping him convulsively as he started to come inside her.

  Convulsions continued to rack them both as he withdrew and collapsed on the floor beside her. She rolled into him, pressing her mouth to his chest. “Stay here…with me,” she whispered.

  Stay…

  * * * * *

  Stay… The memory of that soft, husky little plea was the only thing that kept Sage rational the next day as Jax and Caris appeared on the porch. “So much for privacy,” he growled.

  Now damn near anybody would know where to find him when he wanted to take a few days away.

  And that was just the least of his concerns.

  The big one was sitting in the kitchen, still calm, still patient. Still waiting.

  He glared at Jax and said, “I told you that you shouldn’t have sent me out after her. Hell, I’m bad luck, haven’t you figured that out?”

  Jax calmly replied, “And if you hadn’t been there and Anni had gone off on her own? It might have taken us a few days to realize she had been captured.”

  Then Jax’s voice lowered, filled with a soft, deadly menace as he demanded, “Now…where is this bastard?”

  His voice was filled with soft, deadly menace and Sage smirked a little. The vampire was about to get a taste of the frustration that had been eating at Sage for a long time.

  Miguel wasn’t going to let anybody rip their prisoner limb from limb until he was satisfied that was the best way to handle it.

  And nobody could convince Miguel of that, not now that Kelly had quietly voiced her opinion. Like it or not, Jax was going to have to listen to the bastard, Misha. And he wouldn’t be able to do a damn thing to convince Miguel otherwise.

  Looking away from Jax and into the warm golden-b
rown eyes of his former lover, he asked, “Have any trouble finding the place?”

  Caris smiled sweetly and stepped up closer. As she did, she fisted her hand and rapped it lightly against his head. “Of course not, I just locked in on that hard head of yours. Tracing you is amazingly easy. Well, at least for somebody who knows you the way I do.”

  With that, she sauntered past Sage. Pausing in the middle of the wide-open living room, she stared around with a small smile on her face. “Nice place, Sage. Had it long?”

  He lifted a shoulder restlessly. “Few years. Where Kelly or I come when we need quiet.”

  “Cost a pretty penny,” she mused.

  Sage rolled his eyes and started to comment, but Jax stalked past them and growled, “We are not here to discuss real estate, Caris.”

  She glanced at Sage with a cynical grin on her lips before falling in step behind her husband and trailing him into the kitchen. “The man is nothing but work, work, work.”

  Sage got there just in time to see Jax reaching for the man sitting at the table, and to see him fist his hand the second he encountered the invisible barrier. He slammed it into the barrier, his face completely calm, his voice expressional as he said, “Drop the barrier, Miguel. Now.” But he hit the barrier so hard, his skin split and blood splattered across it.

  Miguel lifted his coffee cup, but instead of drinking, he just stared into it. Flicking Jax a mild look, he said, “He’s no good to us if you rip him apart. Believe me, both Sage and I felt like doing the same thing, but somebody with better eyes than us took a look at him.”

  In a deceptively gentle voice, Jax said, “You will not keep shielding my prey from me, Miguel.” He turned, staring at Miguel with eyes that began to glow. Fangs had already pushed down past his lip and when he smiled, the look on his face was enough to make Sage brace himself. “Let it down. Or would you rather bear the brunt of my anger?”

  Miguel just lifted one shoulder in a shrug. He never lifted his gaze but when Jax lunged for him, Miguel’s eyes glinted. The barrier that slammed up between Jax and Miguel wasn’t invisible. When Jax’s body slammed into it, it glowed white-hot and Jax leaped back just as quickly as he had jumped forward, his body moving in a flash. “Are you such a coward that you cannot even face me for daring to defy me?”