by Aubrey Ross
She couldn’t help but smile. He sounded nearly as anxious as she felt. Untucking her camisole with determined tugs, he finally found bare skin. His fingers wandered for only a moment before her bra presented another obstacle.
With a frustrated grumble he unhooked the bra and pushed both undergarments up out of his way. “You should wear it like this, with nothing underneath.”
“Is that a request or a command?”
His fingers closed on her nipples, rolling and gently pulling until sensations shot deep into her belly. “Would you like me to command you, sweetheart? Do you understand what that means?” Before she could respond, the elevator droned and Max let go. “Talk about timing.” His heavy sigh wafted across her ear. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have started this here.”
Feeling his absence with palpable intensity, she hurriedly righted her clothing. What had she been thinking? She couldn’t fuck Max, not if she wanted him to take her seriously. She turned around as one of his men stepped off the elevator. Max nodded to the Sentinel as he walked past. Neither man said a word.
Tension hung in the corridor, arcing between them like sparks. Hunger pulsed at the juncture of her thighs and her hands trembled. It didn’t matter! This was not why she was here.
She licked her lips and crossed her arms over her chest, stiffening her resolve. “When did you realize I was a shifter?”
“Two seconds after your first shift. We have sensors that register paranormal activity.”
Her gaze flew to his. “If you’ve known all along, why did you jump me? I thought you were serious.”
“I was serious. You seemed harmless enough, but I had to be sure you weren’t a spy.”
Amusement warmed his eyes, making the blue shards all the more striking. She’d never seen eyes like his, sapphire stars scattered across a velvet-black sky. She had to stop thinking like this!
“Did you honestly think we wouldn’t realize?”
“Why wait until now to confront me?”
“As I said, your antics seemed harmless and it was keeping you occupied.”
She leaned against the wall and glared up at him. He made her sound like a bothersome child. “What do you intend to do with me now?”
“There’s a loaded question.” He cupped her chin with his fingers and brushed his thumb across her lower lip. “You’re pouting.”
She gasped and pushed his hand away. “I do not pout.”
“I told you this morning you were free to go.” His posture stiffened and all signs of amusement fled. He was Commander Brigham again. “What’s with the Victor charade?”
Heat raced up her neck and blossomed across her cheekbones. Did she have to admit how completely he’d outmaneuvered her? “It was my intention to reveal a weakness in your security and ask for the opportunity to apply for employment.”
“You want to work for me?”
His amusement returned with a vengeance, which made her temper flare. “I’m a damn good shapeshifter. You might have been aware of my activities, but can you deny my skill?” She planted her fists on her hips and stepped away from the wall. “I could be useful in any number of situations.”
A sexy smile quirked one corner of his mouth. “Now there’s a concept I’d like to explore.”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
“Do you have any military experience, any training that would qualify you to become a Sentinel?”
“I do, but I can’t give you details.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose as frustration threatened her aspirations. He had no intention of giving her a chance. “My background is classified.”
Leaning his shoulder against the wall, he stared at her with a mixture of speculation and doubt. “Without divulging state secrets, give me a rough idea of your experience.”
“My skill set falls more in line with recon and espionage than armed confrontations. I speak Spanish, French, Mandarin, and Russian, as well as English. I’ve had some martial arts training, but my objective has always been to slip in and out without anyone realizing I was there.”
He was silent for a long time. She didn’t rush him. Determined to appear less anxious, she unfolded her arms and slipped her hands into the pockets of her pants.
“Why did you part ways with your former employer?”
“I didn’t. I’m a consultant, more or less. They utilize my services when my skills are necessary for a particular job.”
“If you’re still on good terms, why are you interested in the PSN?”
She shrugged, refusing to reveal any more. He didn’t allow the evasion. Taking her by the upper arms, he reversed their positions and she found herself back against the wall.
“I have to understand your motivation before I can even consider this seriously.”
“I’m tired of hiding my abilities.” She glanced into his eyes, hating her vulnerability. “I seldom work with the same team twice and knowledge of what I can do is strictly need to know. The ones who do know treat me like a freak. I think that’s why my handler works so hard to keep what I am a secret. I’m tired of being isolated and—”
“I understand. I’m pretty sure everyone in this building understands that sort of loneliness.” He stepped back with obvious reluctance. “Are you up for a trial run?”
“What did you have in mind?”
“I know you’re one hell of a shapeshifter, but I’d like to see some of your other skills. Raze, the male vampire, has become more of a challenge than we anticipated.”
“In what way?”
“We need to know the location of his master’s lair and we’ve been unable to scan his mind. Actually, we can scan his mind, but his thoughts are so chaotic it’s impossible to discern anything intelligible.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“He keeps asking about Valerie, the female vampire. In fact his demands to speak with her have become more urgent over the past few hours.”
He kept his hands to himself, but his gaze was a different story. Rather than ogling her body, he focused on her mouth, which was even more disconcerting. Was he imagining their first kiss or something more decadent?
Jerking her mind back to the issue at hand, she asked, “Is there some reason you don’t want him to speak with Valerie?”
“Valerie hasn’t emerged since we took her into custody. Emily, her day-dwelling twin, has been present continually.”
“Wait a minute. The female vampire is a transformed Dichotomy?” This was one of the details he’d carefully kept beyond her reach. “I had no idea that was possible.”
“This is a first for us too. And here’s where it gets really weird. The nocturnal twin was transformed, but Emily doesn’t show any signs of vampirism.”
She began to understand his dilemma. “The male is asking to see Valerie, not Emily, and Valerie refuses to transition out of sleep state.”
“Correct. And even if we could force Valerie out of sleep state, we have no way to control her.”
“You want me to shift into Valerie’s likeness and talk to the male?”
“Yes. If we can get him to calm down and communicate rationally, perhaps we can locate Taerok’s lair.”
“I thought Taerok was dead.”
“He is.”
“Then what’s your interest in his lair?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, his expression tense and guarded. “You already know far more than you should. After all, this is classified.”
His annoyance was understandable, but old habits were hard to break. “If you’re satisfied with my performance, I’ll let you contact my handler.”
The compromise seemed to please him. “Taerok was collecting biological samples and documenting some rather unorthodox research. We need to destroy the samples and archive the documentation. It’s possible Taerok stashed everything somewhere else, but his lair is the obvious place to start.”
She paused for a moment, enjoying his undivided attention and savoring his scent. If she became a
Sentinel, would that make her off limits again? It shouldn’t matter, but it did. She’d never been this attracted to anyone before.
“You won’t even be in the same room with him.” He misread her hesitation. “You’ll be perfectly safe.”
Frustrated by his attitude, she sighed. The best way to quail his doubts was to demonstrate her abilities. “If Valerie is unavailable, I need to touch someone who touched her fairly recently.”
“Within the last two weeks?” She nodded and he took her hand. “Touch me anywhere you like.”
Chapter Two
Max stood in the control booth, too agitated to sit down. Colette had taken on Valerie’s shape with effortless skill. She was good. There was no denying her skill. Her instincts were equally impressive. She pushed for more information with just enough stubbornness, yet sensed when it was time to back off.
“She’s one hell of an interrogator,” Lukas said, his chin propped on his hand as they watched the surveillance feed. A transparent wall separated Colette from Raze and both rooms were visible from several angles.
“You’re not listening to me,” Raze snapped, pounding his fist on the barrier.
“You’re not saying anything I don’t already know.” She tossed her head and moved closer, lowering her voice. “Taerok was close. I know he was. If we can just—”
“Forget about Taerok!” Raze’s voice was shrill, his eyes wild. “You must get me out of here. As soon as he learns, they will come for me.”
“Who will come for you? Why are you so frightened?” She kept her voice even, almost emotionless.
“I’ll serve you willingly. I’ll worship you with my body and fulfill your every desire. I’ll awaken you each night with my mouth on your clit and I’ll—”
“How will you serve me if you’re dead?”
Raze staggered back, stricken. “We must hide. I can’t stay here. He will find me.”
Bracing himself for the chaos, Max sank into the vampire’s mind. Thoughts and memories swirled and twisted, converging in an indistinguishable blur of images and sensations. Terror cleared a path through the dimmer scenes, guiding Max deeper into Raze’s memory.
A man’s face came into focus, sharp features and penetrating eyes. Darius. This was the source of Raze’s fear, but Max could discern nothing more.
The scene expanded, gradually revealing the surroundings. An opulent room, a hotel suite or perhaps an upscale nightclub. Raze stood before Darius, naked and trembling. Taerok held the golden chain attached to the collar around Raze’s neck.
A woman stood on Raze’s other side, her smile cold and calculative. “You must admit he’s spectacular.”
“He’s not yours to offer, Ella. Why present him to me?”
“Taerok is my business partner. All of our assets are shared.”
Rather than challenge the woman outright, Darius looked at Taerok. “Is this true?”
“I have reluctantly agreed to let you sample Raze as part of a larger transaction. I certainly wouldn’t call it a partnership.”
Darius’s gaze returned to the woman. “You know how I feel about your ‘business’. You’d be wise not to mention it again.”
“If you’d accept the customary tribute, our business might seem less offensive.”
His long fingers grasped her throat, drawing her slowly toward him. “I want no part of your flesh peddling. I find it distasteful and you know it.”
“We operate within the Charter,” Taerok said, his gaze averted. “Samcillian is growing rich off profits that could as easily be yours.”
“Samcillian is welcome to your tribute. You are his progeny.”
“But, sir,” Ella managed to speak despite Darius’ warning grip. “Taerok has agreed—”
“I expect what is rightfully mine. Nothing more, nothing less. You are descended from my blood, so you will present an annual offering. The offering must be yours and it must be willing or it means nothing to me. This creature reeks of fear. I have no interest in Taerok’s pet.” He waved his hand dismissively.
Dread, cold and cutting, jarred Max from Raze’s tormented mind. He waited for a lull in the manic conversation then sent his thoughts to Colette. Ask him about Ella.
Her expression didn’t change. He wasn’t sure she’d heard him then she rubbed her forehead and glared at Raze.
“Who is Ella? Her name is echoing through your mind.”
Raze shuddered, crossing his arms over his chest in a protective hug. “I must not speak her name. I must not see her face.” He slapped his head, leaving red blotches on his pale skin. “I fed from her. Oh God, I reveled in her suffering, while Taerok drained her life away. It’s forbidden. He will not rest until she’s avenged.”
“You’re right. We can’t stay here,” she whispered, her voice barely registering on the surveillance feed. “If we leave, we must have somewhere to hide or someone who can protect us.”
Max held his breath, waiting for Raze to take the bait.
“The lair has been defiled. There is nowhere to hide. No one… Nowhere…” Raze shrieked, batting imaginary threats away from his face as he rushed to the corner and collapsed. Drawing his knees up to his chest, he wrapped his arms around his legs and sobbed.
Max triggered the door on Colette’s side of the room and met her in the hallway outside the control booth. She flowed from Valerie’s likeness into her natural shape with mesmerizing ease. “Did you understand what that last bit meant?”
“Most of it.”
She fell into step beside him, not bothering to ask where he was taking her or what he’d thought of her performance. Pale blonde hair framed her delicate face and streamed to the middle of her back. Her body was gently curved and the inherent grace in her movements made him wonder about her ancestry. She looked far more like the Fae than the Dichotomy.
“Am I allowed to know what it meant or have you finished with me?” Irritation snapped through her tone and iridescent sparks burst in the air around her.
He’d caught the momentary shimmer out of the corner of his eye, but he hadn’t imagined the phenomenon. “There are only twelve organic vampire bloodlines left in existence. Darius appears to be the leader of one of these lines. If Ella was a pureblood organic and Raze helped Taerok murder her, he has reason to be afraid.” Max opened the door to his office and motioned her inside.
“Was his mind any easier to scan or are we left with his cryptic ramblings?”
“I locked on to a memory that explained a great deal.” He sat down behind his desk as she settled in one of the chairs facing him. Her cheeks were flushed and curiosity made her eyes shine. More green than gold, the thick-lashed orbs were remarkably expressive. “You did an amazing job back there. I’m impressed, and I’m not easily impressed.”
A beaming smile parted her lips, and an alien warmth spread through his chest. It wasn’t lust, exactly. This sensation was softer, almost…tender? He shook away the disquieting thought and rested his elbows on the desktop, steepling his index fingers as he considered his options.
She was bright and ambitious, undeniably skilled. There had been numerous situations when a female agent would have been highly beneficial. Still… “I’ll need full disclosure if I hire you. I understand the importance of discretion, but I can’t put my other agents at risk.”
“Of course.” She pressed her lips together in a vain effort to hide her excitement.
“This is still an if, Colette.”
Folding her hands in her lap, she tried to look less thrilled, but those thick-lashed eyes gave her away. “What’s the next step?”
“Let me talk to your handler. I’ve networked with other covert organizations before. Perhaps we can figure out a way to share you.” Her cheeks pinked with an adorable blush and he rested back in his chair. “I guess we better talk about this before I bother with the call. To my knowledge, fraternizing hasn’t been a problem with any of my operatives.”
Her shoulders squared and her chin rose. “I can keep my perso
nal and professional lives separate.”
“That’s far easier said than done for anyone. Even me.” He let the implication sink in before he went on. “You’ve been damned hard to ignore just being under my roof. If we work this case together, things are guaranteed to get complicated.”
“What are you afraid of, Commander?”
She softened the challenge with a smile, but lust shot through Max with punishing speed. His blood sizzled and his cock hardened, making him thankful for the position of his desk. “Have you ever fucked a fellow operative?”
“Yes.”
Her answer was crisp and unrepentant and he had to glance away from her lovely face. It was far too easy to imagine her naked and writhing while a lover drove into her willing flesh. Her back would arch and her legs would wrap around his waist. Not just anyone’s waist, my waist.
Max shook away the thought and pressed on. “You were lovers or it was necessary for the mission?”
“We were posing as lovers and we got carried away.”
“Did the relationship end with the mission?”
“No. We were together for almost two years following the mission.”
“Have you ever slept with your handler?”
Her smile broke through again. “You’d have to see my handler to understand how ridiculous that question is. He’s older than my father, but I understand your point.”
He pushed back his chair and came around in front of his desk. “I’m not sure you do. Taerok and Ella were partners in some sort of slave trade. That connection is our strongest lead, which means this mission is going to turn dark fast.”
“I can do dark.”
“Really?” He drew her to her feet. “You wanted to stop in the hallway because you were afraid someone would see me touching you. I suspect you’ve never tasted any flavor but vanilla.”
“It just caught me off guard.” His hands lingered against her upper arms. She held her ground, neither leaning closer nor pulling away. “You’d hardly looked at me since I arrived. I had no idea you were attracted to me.”
“Despite the fact that I was your protector, I’ve thought of little else. Which is part of the reason I’m reluctant to use you for this mission.” He touched the side of her face, enjoying the softness of her skin before pushing his fingers into her silky hair.
