Liam nodded. “Yeah, I don’t think he’ll need it, but we might as well keep him fed and hydrated. He’ll heal faster.”
“And we’ve decided that’s a good thing?” Ben asked.
I couldn’t help but agree, even if I felt sorry for Ollie.
Liam turned to Ben. “He won’t be leaving this room, no matter what state he’s in,” Liam said. “The walls are nanopolymer composite. It looks like glass, but nothing he can possibly do will shatter it. It’ll keep Calder out. The door lock has a battery backup.”
“Fair enough, doc,” Ben said.
The cell really was amazing. It was part of a much larger lab, but most of it was shrouded in shadow due to the lack of power. The emergency lights provided enough light to see, but just barely. I’d always had kind of a thing about the dark. Not my favorite. Too many places for unfriendly things to hide. Even with four bear shifter bodyguards, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched.
***
In the mess hall, the twilight spilling through the windows and the emergency lights competed to see which could make the room look more eerie. We ate in solemn silence. The food tasted like ash in my mouth, even though I’m sure that Donny was able to prepare something delicious even without power.
We’d taken care of Richie and Harry. Since the cold storage had its own emergency generator, we were able to place their bodies inside. I couldn’t stop seeing their faces. I wish I had some Golden Gate right now. The notion caused a lump in my throat and made me glance at the others to make sure they weren’t watching me have such insensitive thoughts.
“I wish I had some Golden Gate right now,” Ben said.
I barked out the loudest possible laugh, like a pressure valve on a boiler. It was half grief and half stress. It made me feel better, but I slapped both hands over my mouth anyway. My face burned.
The others laughed. “No worries, doc,” Ben said. “We were all thinkin’ it.” He gave me a thumbs-up and lifted a half-empty glass of water into the air. “To the Goldens.”
We toasted the brothers and I tried to finish eating, but the knot in my stomach made it impossible.
Liam
For safety, Liam ordered the bears to sleep in his quarters with a rotating watch. Viktor had volunteered to be first, but Liam was the alpha. It was his place to keep the others safe. His place to keep Alanna safe. But Viktor had reasoned with him. Liam would be a more effective leader with a little rest. Grudgingly, Liam had accepted.
Then Alanna had volunteered for the second watch, and he knew by the look in her eye that he shouldn’t argue the point.
Liam lied down and Alanna curled up next to him. Even fully clothed and in a roomful of other men, he couldn’t deny the effect she had on him. He wanted nothing more than to tear off her clothes and have his way with her. He wanted to feel his skin on hers.
Instead, he faced away from her. Even after everything they’d been through already and everything she meant to him, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was somehow wrong for her. That he would hurt her.
Liam sighed and closed his eyes. He tried to focus on Alanna’s breathing at his back, but his mind kept wandering.
Alanna
God, it was cold. Even as Liam lay sleeping next to me, radiating warmth that might rival a bonfire, I just could not get warm. I was even fully clothed, since Liam and I were also sharing the space with two other sleeping men. Donny and Ben had moved some mattresses and bedding into Liam’s quarters. The room was was large enough that we weren’t piled on top of each other. Not that I would have minded the extra warmth. I was freezing my ass off, even while wearing two sweaters, two pairs of socks, and one Liam.
Liam. My fated mate. Just thinking it was still so surreal. I stroked his back as he slept. Were we supposed to get married? What about our children? What would carrying a shifter child be like? Stop thinking and go to sleep, Alanna. I knew I should, but I just couldn’t relax.
“Can’t sleep?” Liam asked. He wasn’t even wearing a shirt, the lucky bastard, and when he rolled over, the way his muscular body moved made me wish he were on top of me, crushing me deliciously beneath the weight of him. Even though we’d thrown a blanket over the emergency lights to dim them, his eyes nearly glowed in the dark.
“Just…I don’t know,” I said. “Everything is so crazy. My life was so different a week ago. I can’t stop thinking about it.”
“We’ll get through this. I’m sure the Company will send someone. A few days from now, we’ll be away from this place and we can talk about where we go from here. I have a cabin in Nova Scotia. I’d love for you to see it.”
Normally the idea of a man showing me his place, even if we were dating, filled me with terror. But with Liam, it sounded perfect.
“I think you’re perfect,” he said. I rolled my eyes and he smiled. “Besides, do you think this happens to me with just anyone?” He moved a little closer to me, and I felt that his cock was rock hard. It throbbed against my thigh.
Holy shit, I thought. He’s going to tear a hole in his pants.
“Oh my,” I said. I felt flushed. Normally, I was not the aggressor, but Liam did seem to bring it out. I wanted him. Now. I wanted to be his. Every part of me. Every piece. Always.
I reached down and grabbed the huge bulge in his pants, and he threw his head back and moaned. His cock twitched and throbbed in my hand.
He growled and rolled on top of me in one smooth motion and tried to pin my arms. I struggled playfully and he slid down between my thighs, kissing and nibbling me, and somehow I felt it even through my eighty layers of clothing. He suddenly pulled himself back up and kissed me. His weight on top of me robbed me of breath, but not in an unpleasant way. After an agony of teasing kisses and caresses, we were eye to eye. I wanted him to look at me just like that forever.
“God, your eyes are beautiful,” I said.
He smiled. “No need to sweet talk me. You’re going to get lucky.”
I pulled his head down and kissed him. All at once simple sensations left me and all I needed was his mouth on mine. His tongue, gently probing at first, became more eager. I matched him until his kisses became more ravenous. His powerful hands slid underneath my sweaters and shirt, trying to pull them off.
I grabbed his hands. “Wait! What about them?” I looked at the two snoring men across the room.
Liam grinned. “I guess we’ll have to be quiet?”
I was so not willing to win this argument. I helped him pull my sweaters and shirt over my head and unclasped my bra. He tore it off me and exposed my breasts. My nipples hardened instantly in the cold, and Liam could not resist them, sucking and nibbling on each in turn.
“I’m dying to taste your pussy,” Liam said, and I felt my hidden muscles twitch involuntarily in anticipation. He didn’t make me wait long, pulling my jeans over my generous thighs. He tore my panties off like they were nothing. God, I’m going to have to shop for new clothes soon at this rate, I thought. And then Liam pressed his face against my exposed pussy and growled. All cohesive thought was gone.
I couldn’t believe how wet I was for him. I felt it even before Liam touched my opening with one rough finger, kissing my thighs as he teased me. When his lips found and encircled my clit, he slid his finger inside me.
“Oh my God, Liam,” I said. My breath was ragged as I struggled not to give in so quickly to the sensation. It was no use. He was amazing. I could feel an orgasm rushing at me like a train and I was tied to the tracks. Just when it was about to overtake me, Liam stopped what he was doing. I raised my head to look at him. I was breathless.
“Why did you sto—” I said. And then he was licking me again. His finger stroked the upper wall of my channel and his tongue engulfed my clit. My climax came roaring back immediately and rolled over me like a tidal wave, but Liam would not stop, even as I pushed his head with all of my strength and fought for breath and cried out for deities. Some of them I might have even made up on the spot.
&n
bsp; I had barely enough time to float back down to Earth before Liam was on his knees between my thighs. I was desperate to have him inside me, and I tried to position my hips to engulf him. He wrapped his hands under my thighs and held my ass.
He pressed the head of his thick cock against my wet opening. Holy shit, I thought. He’s not going to fit. His eyes locked on mine intensely as he slowly slid inside, letting me get used to his girth one delicious inch at a time.
I’d never felt so full, and I wrapped my legs around the small of his well-muscled back to pull him deeper. I wanted more. More of his cock. More of him.
Suddenly, he thrust deep inside me and I gasped, then in one fluid motion he managed to roll both of us over so that now he was on his back and I was on top of him.
“Ride my cock, Alanna,” Liam said. Even when I was on top he was still in control. I began sliding back and forth on top of him. Slowly at first, since I was enjoying the new sensation of being fucked at this angle, but Liam grabbed my ass firmly with both of his strong hands, and began moving me up and down on his cock faster. I couldn’t believe how good he felt.
Liam
Her pussy was so tight and wet, Liam had to concentrate on not immediately losing control. He knew it would be this way with her—the one who was his perfect match. He let go of her ass and brought his hands up to her breasts, squeezing them as she bounced up and down on his cock. Alanna ground her pelvis into his and moaned. Somehow she became even tighter.
“Oh God. Liam. Holy shit,” Alanna said. “I’m going to cum again.” His eyes locked on to hers and he rubbed her nipples as she bucked and gasped. She collapsed on him, every muscle in her body giving over to sheer bliss. Liam held her tightly. Her back was slick with sweat. Still, he needed more. They both did.
Alanna put her hands on Liam’s chest and pushed herself up with effort. Her face was flushed. “Fuck me. From behind. Please.”
Liam needed no prodding and Alanna eagerly presented her ass to him. The scent of sex in the air was almost overwhelming. When he slid his cock back inside her and she backed up onto him, he thought that he might cum right there. He lost whatever control he might have had, grabbing a handful of Alanna’s hair in one hand and her hip in the other. She arched her back as he slammed himself into her.
Alanna pulled her head away from Liam and braced herself on her shoulders, cupping her breast in one hand and sliding the other between her legs. The deep rumble of Liam’s moan sent her over the edge just as his cock exploded and pulsed inside of her.
They collapsed in a panting, smiling heap and Liam rolled off to one side, spooning her. Liam could feel the quickness of her breath and heartbeat. He kissed the back of her neck.
“Don’t you dare move,” Liam said.
“Viktor’s been on watch for two hours. It’s my turn,” Alanna said. “Not to worry though. I’ll be back to wake you up again in a few for round two.”
Liam smiled and kissed her, then reluctantly let go of her hand when she turned to leave. Even though she’d be just outside the door she already felt a million miles away.
Chapter Four - Oliver
“I know you can hear me,” Calder said.
Oliver’s eyes fluttered open, then grew wide with fear.
Calder chuckled. “Ah, you remember me. Good.” He surveyed Oliver’s wounds. “You’re healing well. I’m surprised you survived.”
“Mother…fucker,” Oliver said.
“You’re being rude? I was only trying to prevent their escape. The device wasn’t masterful, but it did its job. Unlike you.” Calder pressed on one of Oliver’s wounds.
Oliver screamed in pain. ”Fuck!” He bucked against the makeshift bed.
Calder withdrew. “You knew the female was not to be harmed. It was not part of the plan.”
Oliver spat and clenched his partially-healed hands into fists. “Screw your plan.”
“I need her alive. She’s going to be my mate. And when I give her the virus, our children will be perfect. I will teach them to see humans as prey.”
Oliver laughed. “It won’t work. There’s too many of them.”
“But that’s the beauty. Even those who survive will be changed. Some will only have shifter offspring. But those with bodies that are unable to fight the infection will have their DNA rewritten. They’ll partially shift and help spread the virus more quickly.”
“But…the cure? You said that I—”
“There is no cure, bear.” Calder snickered. “And even if there was, do you think you would still have a part in the plan?” He tore the bags from the IV stand, spilling the contents, and grabbed Oliver by the throat and lifted him until they were face to face.
“You were so easy. You would ‘discover’ the virus and release the cure. Fame and fortune. Movie rights and a book deal. This is a very strange world that you live in, Oliver. But in the end, you were easy. Not righteous. Just greedy. Like a human.”
Calder threw Oliver back down on the bed. “Was it guilt that made you betray me?” Calder asked.
“Love.” Oliver’s voice was a rasp.
Calder laughed. “Jealousy, you mean. Envy. You wanted the female to be your mate. And you decided that what? If you couldn’t have her then no one could? And you’d have the satisfaction of the alpha being forced to live with having torn her to pieces?”
“Not. Part. Of. The. Plan!” Calder said. Each word was punctuated with a fist to Oliver’s chest.
“I had a mate once,” Calder said. “Did I ever tell you? Beautiful. Kind. My better in every way. Because I love her, I will make a world where what happened to her will never happen again.”
Oliver coughed and gasped. The air came back to him slowly. Every breath was agony.
Blood ran from Oliver’s mouth. “How…did you…even get in here?”
“The alpha continues to underestimate me. It was so simple to short-circuit the mechanism.”
There was a very faint sound outside, getting closer.
Calder looked toward the ceiling. “Hmm,” Calder said. “It looks like someone else is trying to interfere.” He patted Oliver’s chest. “I’ll be right back.”
Parker
Parker loaded the silver bullets into the clip one at a time. He held one admiringly and examined it up close. Each one was meticulously made by hand. It was part signature and part superstition. He also usually took thirteen clips on a mission, so he spent a lot of time making bullets. So far, he’d successfully completed every mission without ever requiring more than one clip. Still, better safe than sorry, and his gut told him this mission was going to be unlike anything he’d ever encountered previously. Over the years, Parker had learned to listen to his intuition. The large, sinuous scar over his left hip served as a permanent reminder of the one and only time he’d ignored his gut. Parker considered himself lucky that he’d come away from that mission mostly unscathed. A scar was definitely preferable to losing a limb. He shook his head. No sense in dwelling on the past. There was a fresh mission at hand, after all.
He looked around at the six heavily armed and armored men and women who shared the helicopter with him. The Company had a very well-trained mercenary force, but Parker would insist on taking point. None of them spoke, but some looked worried.
That wasn’t a feeling that Parker shared, or even could share. Any halfway experienced professional would recognize all the hallmarks of a sociopath in him, but the fact was known only to the Company and those individuals who a mission required that he make contact with. Not a single person in the world called him Alex. The Chairwoman was the closest thing he had to a mother, and even she had always called him Parker, never Alex. It was as though Alex had ceased to exist once Parker joined the Company. If he’d had an ordinary childhood, maybe there’d still be something of Alex left. But Parker’s childhood had been anything but ordinary.
He had been recruited as a Sheriff at twelve years old after his parents and sister died in a car accident. He’d sat with their bodies for hours
until the police arrived on the scene and pulled him out. Parker hadn’t cried then, or at the funeral. Or since. Someone had noticed, because his foster family wasn’t really a family at all. It was a company. The Company.
He actually was surprised to find out that there were all sorts of supernatural residents in the world, but the emotion didn’t show on his face. He did feel things, but in a vestigial way. The information just didn’t affect him in any real way. Over the years, he learned names to give to the feelings, and also studied affectation to fit in. Most people would probably find him charming. He laughed at jokes, smiled at weddings, and looked sad at funerals.
Even if he felt nothing, he was not apathetic. He took his job seriously, and his job was to be a line in the sand between humanity and the supernatural. And also a line between conflicting supernatural parties in the event of territory disputes, rogue elements, or crimes. He enjoyed keeping the peace. Protecting people. And he was fearless.
That part was artificial. Even the tiny, disconnected amount of fear that he had felt as a child could prove fatal in the field. There were things that would eat you if you were afraid. Run from a shifter, and chances are it would catch up to you and eat you. The best bet for survival was to stand your ground and make them afraid instead. Part of his training was learning how to subdue and master fear.
Some species found the Sheriffs very off-putting. Being immune to the seductive powers of a succubus or siren and the glamour of a vampire made all three less dangerous. And they liked being dangerous as much as Parker did, so the distraction gave him the advantage.
Parker wiped away a haze of condensation and looked out of the window. He could see the base in the distance now. They were getting close.
He wasn’t looking forward to his assigned tasks. The Company had instructed him to use fire sale protocol, which meant that he was going to have to kill everyone on site and destroy everything. Human. Shifter. Anything else that might be there. Hell, even the building itself was going to have to come down. Or be scuttled.
Snowman (Arctic Station Bears Book 2) Page 2
