Uncontrollable (Beyond Human)

by Nina Croft

  She gave a little shrug. “I haven’t actually lived there since I was five. That’s when my parents and brother were killed.”

  “War?”

  “Sort of. They were caught in the crossfire of an intergalactic war that has gone on for thousands of years. A stray blast destroyed a dam, and the valley where we lived was flooded. Everyone drowned except me.”

  “That’s why you’re scared of water.”

  “I’m not scared.” But a visible shudder ran through her.

  “This war—who’s fighting who? Who are the bad guys and who are the good guys?”

  “The Federation doesn’t take sides.”

  “Of course you don’t. All the same, you must have opinions.”

  She changed the subject. “Can I have some ice cream?”

  “You can have whatever you like.” He raised his hand and the waiter came over.

  “Vanilla and chocolate ice cream, please,” she said.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Tell me.”

  She rested her chin on her hand as she considered what to say. “The war is between two different species from the same galaxy, though it’s thought they have a common ancestor somewhere way back. The Bhaxians are a warrior race, the Krellians are…more peaceable, at least on the surface. But they’re scientists and can be just as destructive. They actually invented time travel and so are responsible for far more deaths than the Bhaxians. A few thousand years ago, the Bhaxians destroyed the Krellians’ home planet and they’ve been nomadic ever since. Supposedly, they had a mothership at one point—everything they had saved from their planet—but no one knows what happened to it. The common theory is that it was destroyed by the Bhaxians. Anyway, whenever the two get within shooting distance, fighting breaks out. But the Federation doesn’t interfere unless their fighting impacts other planets.”

  “Like Earth.”

  “Yes. It was declared a no-war zone.”

  “Why?”

  “I wasn’t involved—that’s politics—but my guess is that they wanted to give the planet a chance to recover, grow stronger, so it can compete on a more even footing.”

  “So these Bhaxians and Krellians—are they like little green men?”

  She smiled, amusement flashing in her eyes. “The Bhaxians are blue and they are far from little. Other than that, they are humanoid. The Krellians are similar, just not quite as…big.”

  “Nice.”

  Her dessert came at that moment and he sat back and waited until the waiter had left. “So where did you grow up?”

  “Mostly on spaceships, wherever my father was stationed.”

  “Hell, I always wanted to go to space when I was a kid.”

  “It was…different. I guess I was a little weird.” She licked at her spoon. “They don’t have ice cream in the future,” she said.

  “That’s it then. You can’t go back.”

  She ignored the comment and he was glad, because it was nice just talking—almost like a normal couple. If you discounted the actual content of the conversation.

  “Was your father happy that you joined the Bureau?”

  “I joined the Federation first. I started off doing a lot of liaison work—it was interesting—but I’d always been fascinated with the idea of time travel. But no, I wouldn’t say he was happy. The job has its dangers.”

  Which he reckoned she’d totally played down.

  “But he agreed in the end. He was head of the Bureau by then, and I got a little teasing in the academy for favoritism. But it was nonsense and talk finally died down. Then my father was offered the job of overseeing the Bureau on Earth. It was a sort of step down, but I think he took it because he believed I needed to get to know my own people. My own world. Then he made sure I got a transfer.”

  “You don’t sound pleased.”

  “I was, and I wasn’t. I’d worked hard to make sure he didn’t interfere with my job or give me any preferential treatment. At the same time…I wanted to come home. Something drew me back here.”

  “Do you have anyone? In your time, I mean.” Christ, she could be married with children for all he knew. Maybe to a Bhaxian and they’d have lots of little blue babies.

  She frowned. “Anyone?”

  “A man? Boyfriend? Husband?”

  Her face cleared, and she smiled. “No. There’s no one. It’s not the same in my time. People have relationships, but they are more like business arrangements. There’s no such thing as love. Maybe it died along with most of the population of Earth.” She scraped the bowl and put down her spoon, looking at him a little warily. “What now?”

  He studied her tense figure, the set of her shoulders, the guarded cast of her beautiful eyes.

  “Now, I’m going to take you back to our room and show you that love does exist in my world.”

  Her eyes widened, but Quinn didn’t wait for her to say anything else. He rose to his feet, tossed some money on the table to cover the bill, and held out his hand.

  Her palm slid into his and that now-familiar tingle ran up his arm. They walked slowly, hands entwined—he didn’t want to let her go. If he held on tight enough, would she not be able to leave? If he never let her go, would she be stuck here with him? Or maybe she’d drag him along wherever she was going. After all, she had one transponder on her wrist, the other in her pocket. He almost tugged free at that point. No way was he leaving here until he’d gotten word to Jake and told him what he knew. Whatever Mel said, there had to be a way through this.

  But before they continued with that particular argument, there was something they needed to do.

  As they came through the door into their room, he took her in his arms, lowered his head and kissed her. He didn’t want to talk right now. He wanted to make love and forget just for a while. She was with him all the way, and within minutes, he’d stripped off her clothes and she was naked. Then he took care of his own. For a minute, they stared at each other. He took in the long slender lines of her, her breasts firm but full, the nipples already hard. She still had the towel wrapped around her as a bandage, but it was clean, without any blood. She was watching him in return, and his cock, already half hard, thickened and twitched until it was almost vertical against his belly. Her gaze wandered down over him and her lips curved. He reached out, rested his hands on her hips, then turned her and placed her palms flat against the wall, his gaze caressing the curve of her spine. She had a beautiful ass and he shaped it with his hands, trailing his fingers down the crevice, then over her hips, up to cup her breasts and squeeze, playing with her hard little nipples until a groan was torn from her throat. He lowered his head and bit the soft spot where her neck met her shoulder, then licked it with his tongue. His dick got even harder, pulsing, and he couldn’t wait any longer. Time was running out.

  He parted her with the fingers of one hand, found her hot and wet and more than ready for him, then pushed inside, flexing his hips to fill her, his other hand sliding around her waist to pull her flush against him. His palm stroked down over her stomach, over the soft, smooth skin of her mound, then between her thighs. Tension ran through her as he found the little bundle of nerves, massaging gently as he pulled out, then pushed back in. She quivered beneath his touch, and he knew she was close. He increased the pressure and quickened his movements, loving the feel of her wrapped so tight around him, dragging him back into her, her muscles clenching around him.

  Her breathing was fast now. She was so close, and he pinched her clit between his finger and thumb, feeling her fall apart against him. He released the last of his control, pumping into her, the pleasure building in his belly, his balls, shooting along his dick until he exploded inside her. For an age, his hips kept moving. She pushed back against him, wriggled, clenched her inner muscles, and he kept right on coming. Finally, he collapsed against her, burrowing his head in the side of her neck. He kissed her skin, breathing in the warm musky scent of their lovemaking. Then he raised his head and whispered into her ear. “I love you.”
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  Her body went rigid in his embrace.

  He didn’t want to pressure her. They might not have love where she came from, and maybe he could never hope to have his feelings returned, but the words had to be said. Whatever decision they came to, she needed to know he loved her.

  It was crazy. He’d never expected to love.

  “I love you,” he said again, the words louder this time. He was still inside her and he pushed himself away. Pulled free. Then he rested his hands on her shoulders and turned her gently to face him. For a moment, she kept her head down, staring at his chest, and he held his breath as he waited for some sort of reaction—expecting dismissal, but hoping for…what, he wasn’t sure. Just some indication that he was more than a job to her. More than some sort of weird anomaly that had to be cleaned up.

  Then her chin lifted, and she gazed into his eyes. Hers were filled with wonder, but her lips clamped together, as though she was afraid of the words that might fall out. She inched closer, closing the last of the space between them, then wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his chest. “I can hear your heart beat,” she murmured.

  They stood like that for an age. He pushed aside the nagging worry that the hours were passing quickly and gave her the time she needed. Finally, she raised her head. “I love you, too.” She smiled, her face softening.

  At her words, something tightened inside him, as though the stakes had suddenly changed and maybe there was a chance that she might stay and fight for him. For them.

  “I love you,” she said again. “It’s weird and nice and…” She trailed off, gnawing at her lower lip.

  “Terrifying?” he suggested. “Loving someone with the end of the world on the horizon is pretty damned scary.”

  “Yes.” Her palm rested on his chest where her cheek had been. “But it doesn’t have to be.” Her tone was low, urgent. “Come with me to the future. We’ll be safe there. There will be something useful for you to do. A job with the Federation. You can see space like you always wanted.”

  For a second, he wondered if she’d only said the words “I love you” to try and persuade him to go with her. But he knew that wasn’t true. He hadn’t known her long, but she was as straight as it was possible to be. She might lie for her job, but she wouldn’t lie about love.

  So where did that leave them? He couldn’t go with her. And she wouldn’t stay. Maybe love wasn’t enough. Trouble was, she genuinely believed they could not stop whatever was going to happen. Not only could not, but he suspected she would not, even if she knew of a way. She might love him but, weighed against the possible destruction of her whole existence, it probably wasn’t enough.

  And he could see her point. She was protecting the people she cared for, just as he was trying to save everyone he loved.

  Wandering off to the future and living happily ever after while all his friends died? That wasn’t going to happen.

  He held her closer for a second and then let her go and stepped back. “I can’t go with you.”

  She bit her lip, searched his face and gave a small nod. “I think I knew that.”

  “Just give me a second to clean up.” He needed a moment alone. “Then we’ll talk.” Say goodbye.

  He walked away, closing the bathroom door behind him. He stood staring into the mirror. His face so familiar, with no evidence of the cataclysmic change he’d been through. He was in love. For all the good it would do him.

  It’s better to have loved and lost…

  He spoke the old saying in his head but couldn’t finish it. On the up side—he wasn’t going to have to be miserable for long. Two years. He couldn’t even try and persuade her to stay. What if he did and she died along with him, all because she’d had the misfortune to fall in love with him?

  Christ, what a mess.

  But he had to get out there. If they only had a few hours left, he wanted to spend them wrapped around her.

  With one last sigh, he ran a hand through his hair and opened the doors. She’d closed the curtains and the room was in darkness, the only light spilling out from the open bathroom door. He saw no sign of movement and a niggle of foreboding tapped at his mind.

  “Mel?”

  He stepped into the room, sensed someone behind him but had no time to do more than turn slightly when something slammed into the back of his head, and he crashed down to his knees. He tried to push himself up, but another blow smashed his face to the carpet and everything went black.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Mel dropped to her knees beside him, her breath sobbing in her throat.

  He’d left her no choice.

  But she’d hated to hit him. And no doubt, he’d hate her when he came around, which would likely be soon, since she was a wimp and she’d pulled the blow at the last second.

  Calm down.

  She was only doing what had to be done. He’d understand that once he knew a little more. In the meantime, she had to keep him alive. The alarm on her transponder had gone off while he was in the bathroom. Someone was close and getting closer. She had to presume they weren’t friendly, which meant she had to go. And she wasn’t leaving Quinn behind.

  She loved him.

  And she was coming to realize that changed everything. Maybe that’s why people in her time had stopped loving. It altered your priorities, and in a period when the very survival of mankind was at stake, perhaps love had not been important. Maybe it should have been. Right now, her priority was keeping Quinn alive. She’d worry about everything else once that was done.

  So, she’d hit him.

  He would get over it… Or not.

  As she pulled the second transponder from her pocket and clicked it onto his wrist, he groaned.

  Should she hit him again?

  No, she only needed a few more seconds. She swiped her finger over the screen, then tapped in a code overriding the original sequence, resetting it for change of agent and time, sending Quinn to the future a day after she was due to arrive back. Which would give her time to sort something out. Though right now, she had absolutely no clue what—she was breaking every rule.

  Rogue.

  She didn’t allow herself to be distracted by the thought. Finally, she lowered her head and kissed him on the lips. As she straightened, his eyes flickered open. “Mel?”

  She pressed her finger to the control panel and shifted back so they weren’t touching, otherwise there was a good chance she would be dragged through time with him.

  His eyes widened. His arm came out as though to grab her.

  And then he was gone.

  Would she ever see him again?

  What would happen to him in the future if she didn’t get back?

  She sat back on her heels and took a deep breath. The alarm on her transponder was still vibrating, reminding her that it was time to get the hell out of there. She had three more hours. She could induce an emergency shift, but she wanted everything to appear normal when she got back. Which meant she had to elude her pursuers for three hours. She could do it. At a guess, she knew this world way better than whoever they had sent after her this time. She pushed herself to her feet and looked around the room. There wasn’t much here.

  She picked up Quinn’s jacket from the chair and raised it to her nose, breathing in the scent of him, then pulled it on. It was bigger than hers, fitting better over her makeshift bandage, and the pockets were larger. There was a roll of money in one. Quinn’s pistol lay on the table by the bed, together with his cell phone. She slipped both into her pockets then crossed to stand by the window.

  She flicked the curtain aside and peered out onto the street. It was dark now, but the streetlights were bright. The roads were still busy with traffic, and lots of people walked on the sidewalks. All the same, she spotted them easily. There was something a little off about them; they didn’t quite blend in. Maybe they’d been rushed and hadn’t got the clothes just right. Whatever it was, she noticed straight away. And she went still.

  I
t was Brent—who Quinn had shot and killed that morning, and his partner who had vanished back to the future. This must be an earlier trip back for them. Well, earlier in their time, later in the present one. She only hoped that meant they had failed this time and so they’d gone back earlier to try again. It gave her a shiver to see Brent here now. Could she save his life if she went and gave herself up now? But would that also mean that they wouldn’t come back to the earlier time, and she wouldn’t get the transponder? If so, what would that mean for Quinn, lost somewhere in time?

  She stepped back, letting the curtain fall in place. After one last look around the room, in case there was something she’d forgotten—there was nothing—she left, pulling the door closed behind her. The alarm was still vibrating, and she would bet if she was picking them up, they’d be doing the same for her. She needed to put some distance between them. They were on foot. For now.

  She came out into the forecourt in front of the motel. A couple of taxis were parked up waiting for fares, but they were out on the main street and she’d be seen by the approaching men. Instead, she headed for the reception desk a few doors along. Inside, a bored-looking woman leaned on the counter, tapping something into her cell phone, totally ignoring Mel.

  She cleared her throat and the woman finally looked up. “What?”

  “Could you do me a favor?”

  “It depends.”

  Mel pulled a note off the roll in her pocket and slapped it down on the counter. “Will this help?”

  “It might.”

  She bit back her impatience and the urge to run. They must be close now. “Can you go get a taxi and ask the driver to meet me at the back of the building?” She pulled out another note and laid it next to the first. A hand with chipped dark blue polish snapped them up and shoved them in the pocket of her tight jeans. She sashayed around the counter and out the door. Mel moved to the window and peered out. Brent was just turning the corner into the forecourt, walking fast.