Undercover Alliance

by Lilly Cain

  Johaness yanked the knife from her shoulder and made a stab toward Davis. Her strike came inches from the human’s throat when a blaze of laser fire slicked through her hand and into the side of her head. She dropped to the floor, dead.

  For a second, no one moved. Only the sound of their breaths cut the silence. Then the alarms sounded, warning of active laser fire on board the ship. The smell of burnt flesh closed around Sarina’s throat. She glanced over at John, who still knelt on the floor, holding the laser.

  * * *

  John stood and walked over to Sarina to give her a hand up. The Examiner, Fiiten, bent over the still body of Commander-In-Chief Johaness and seemed to be checking her dress uniform. Davis stared at him.

  “Did you actually believe I would pass on intel to a bunch of terrorists? Jesus, John.” His mission tech shook his head. “Just `cause I commented on you getting some alien tail? Now get me the fuck out of here—you almost got me killed.”

  Fiiten looked up and gave John a weak smile. “You may release him. He has no part of the terrorists, or the Raveners, even if he is a little crude.”

  Sarina moved to release the force-bindings behind Davis’s back. John shook his head as Davis made no move to hide his admiration of Sarina’s body. John ran a hand over his jaw where Johaness had made contact with his bone. The woman hit like a ton of bricks. Then he realized what Fiiten was looking for.

  “Is she one of them? Is she a Gathan?”

  The form on the ground flickered and shifted. He had his answer. Fiiten held up a small glowing device. “I’m afraid so.”

  “I knew someone high up was doing some dirty shit.” Davis stood, rubbing his hands over the skin on his wrists where the force-bindings had held him secure. “That’s why I couldn’t answer your contacts, John. I couldn’t risk someone listening in. I got my ass over here as soon as I heard the CIC was headed this way—I figured it was someone in her staff. Never thought it would be her.”

  They all looked at the blue-skinned body on the floor. Half of its face was gone, burned away by the laser. “Well, it wasn’t her, was it.” John heard the weariness in his voice. “She’s probably dead. God knows how long they’ve had her replaced.”

  Sarina walked to him and touched his arm. He appreciated the comfort, more than she could ever know. The sound of running feet approached. A rescue team on its way, but too late. They couldn’t question the Gathan, couldn’t know how far the corruption might go.

  Fiiten stood. “Let’s meet with Commander Finar and discuss the options. The signing of the Earth’s first Human Accord is in the morning.”

  * * *

  A full troop of human Starforce Marines lined the edges of the great conference room on the Jupiter Moon base. The base would soon be handed over to the humans, and this was the first step in showing full compliance to the upcoming Treaty. Today’s ceremony marked the first ever full agreement of all the Earth governments since the end of the third world war. Today they signed an accord that would allow one representative to sign the human part of the Confederacy Treaty. Every race invited into the Confederacy had to reach this moment before they could become a part of the alliance.

  Sarina watched as another member of the human council passed through the scanners set up at the doorway. Each scanner was set to check DNA and search for Gathan technology. If they’d had these in place for Commander Johaness, they might have a lot more information about what would probably be the last chance for the Raveners to attempt subterfuge, and possibly about any chance of an outright attack at next week’s Treaty signing.

  But there was no time for regrets. She turned her attention back to the man at her side. Agent John Norton. Her mate, at least for now. “How long will this go on?”

  “Don’t ask me. I don’t do the paperwork any longer.” John’s mental voice was warm with his amusement.

  “How about we slip out?”

  “Perfect.”

  Sarina nodded to the Inarrii watch officer. He stepped aside, and she and John made their way past the gathering dignitaries. They didn’t need to be there any longer. The threat, at least for today, was gone. Already word had spread regarding her status, that she and John had been the ones to catch the Gathan who could have brought today’s event to a grinding halt. She had her place back as a warrior, and as an honor-point-earning clan member. She could walk proudly through the halls.

  “I’m hungry. Want to grab a bite?” John’s comment accompanied an image of the two of them in the dining hall of the Horneu. The thought had her L’inar rippling in response. It was a simple thing, to feel desire and know it was going to be fulfilled, but so important. Contentment filtered through her to him through their shared link.

  “Let’s go to my room. We can share a meal there.”

  “Good enough. I’m not really ready to provide another show for anyone but you.”

  They walked through the corridors, and she fought to keep her pace steady. Desire raced ahead of her, pulled her toward a place where they could make love again. Finally they reached her quarters. She keyed the DNA scan and stepped inside, pulling him with her. She stopped in the main room. “I need to know one thing. What happened at the dining room…” She hesitated then pushed the thought of his mouth on her sinaa, his tongue and fingers inside her, driving her with pleasure. “With Inarrii—”

  “With Inarrii,” he interjected, “making love like that means something. It meant something to me, Sarina.” He stepped closer to her, pulled her close until she was in his arms. He leaned against the wall, pulling her weight fully against him.

  She grinned as she felt the hardness of him through the thin material of his dress uniform. His mental touch enforced the understanding of how much he wanted her. Slowly, he lowered his head to hers and she thrilled at the way he took his time to brush his lips against hers. Like they had all the time in the universe.

  “I want you to come and work with me as a partner. Help me look for more of the dangers to this planet. Help me protect my people.” He took their kiss deeper, parting her lips with his tongue and tasting her. “I want you, Sarina, all of you. On Earth I would say I am falling for you.”

  Sarina’s thoughts whirled. He wanted her. His thoughts were clear. He wanted her to be with him, and not just for a term of service. He wanted her as a partner, even if she were to be injured again. And he wanted her as a lover. To build something that might become something more than the casual mating of bunkmates. Joy pulled at her, dancing along with the pleasure she felt from his kiss and the way he’d begun to stroke the nerve lines along the back of her neck.

  “I want to be with you too, John. As a partner, in and out of bed. And it doesn’t matter that we are far from Earth. I am falling with you.” She kissed him back, pouring her emotion through their link. “Let’s go to the cleanser. I believe you had a thought in one once. Something I’d like to try.” Sarina made the decision and sent an image to John. Her, on her knees in the ultrasonic cleanser. The vibrations pulsing though them, and lips on his cock as she made love to him with her mouth, taking him to the edge of m’itta lensahn. Someday she might complete the ritual mating, but for now she would promise to explore a life together. He groaned, the sound reflecting his desire. He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the cleansing room. Through their contact, she realized he knew exactly what she was offering. It was impossible to guess what would happen with the Treaty, but for now he was everything she wanted. There was only one week until the final signing, but already violence was growing and the Raveners, now paired with the highly intelligent and cruel Gathan, would do anything to stop it. But for the moment, someone else would watch over things as she and John built an agreement that had nothing to do with anyone else.

  * * * * *

  We hope you enjoyed Undercover Alliance. Don’t miss the first two titles in the Confederacy Treaty series. Availa
ble wherever ebooks are sold!

  Alien Revealed

  Inarrii agent Alinna Gaerrii was tasked with observing the Starforce base on Earth. Crash landing her pod was not part of her mission. Neither was making m’ittar—mind contact—with Major David Brown, the human who found her amongst the wreckage. David thinks she’s a psychologist sent to evaluate his Special Forces team, and Alinna goes along with his misconception, seizing the opportunity to observe humans up close. But their contact has unexpected side effects, and Alinna soon invades David’s dreams…

  The Naked Truth

  Captain Susan Branscombe was the victim of torture at the hands of terrorists. Though rescued, she’s now facing accusations of treason. The only way she can prove her innocence is to allow Asler Kiis, a Confederacy Examiner, to delve into the depths of her mind. His duty is to find the truth, but when he explores Susan’s mind he can’t resist drawing her into a more intimate experience…

  CarinaPress.com

  Facebook.com/CarinaPress

  Twitter.com/CarinaPress

  About the Author

  Lilly Cain is a wild woman with a deep, throaty laugh and plunging necklines. She is a great lover of all things sensual—perfume, chocolate, silk! She never has to worry about finding a date or keeping a man in line. She keeps her blond hair long and curly, wears beautiful clothes and loves loud music. Lilly lives her private life in the pages of her books.

  Lilly lives in Atlantic Canada, although she spent eight years in Bermuda, enjoying the heat and the pink sands. She returned to her homeland so she could see the changing of the seasons once again. When not writing she paints, swills coffee and vodka (but not together) and fights her writing pals for chocolate.

  When not living up to her pen name, Lilly is a single mom who loves reading and writing, dabbling in art and loving and caring for her two daughters. She loves romance and the freedom erotic fantasy provides her imagination. She loves the chilling moments in her novels as much as the steaming hot interludes. Her stories are an escape and a release, and she hopes that they can give you that power, too.

  Where no great story goes untold.

  The variety you want to read, the stories authors have always wanted to write.

  With new releases every week, your next great read is just a download away!

  Keep in touch with Carina Press:

  Read our blog: www.CarinaPress.com/blog

  Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CarinaPress

  Become a fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarinaPress

  ISBN: 978-14268-9399-5

  Copyright © 2012 by Lilly Cain

  All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

  www.CarinaPress.com