The Krinar's Informant: A Krinar World Novel

by Charmaine Pauls

  “Look around,” he said soft enough for only her to hear. “Every dick in this place will assume you’re a tattletale, unless we make it look like a…” his teeth grazed her earlobe, “…date.”

  The shiver that ran over her was uncontainable. Zavir had felt it, because he chuckled from deep in his chest. Glancing over his broad shoulder, she hated to admit he was right. Every man was staring.

  “Put your arms around my neck,” he instructed.

  She hesitated.

  His fingers splayed over her back, taking up an alarmingly big portion of skin. “You do know how to make it look real?”

  She shot him an irritated look. “Of course, I do.”

  He laughed softly. “So brave.” His voice dropped an octave, sounding darker and more dangerous. “Now kiss me like you mean it.”

  “What?” she cried out in shock.

  “Kiss me, little human,” his wicked voice teased, “so that we have an excuse to take our discussion outside.”

  She was about to retort with a clever remark, but he didn’t give her an opportunity. The moment her lips parted, his mouth slanted over hers. There was nothing tentative about the kiss. His tongue speared past her lips as she gasped. He sucked and molded, not giving her the choice to return or resist the kiss.

  His mouth was cool, but his touch seared. Heat built in her chest and spread to her belly. His fingers tightened on her skin while his free hand found purchase in her hair. Her knees turned weak when the heat transformed into something deeper, something that made her breasts tighten and her sex swell. Blood gushed in her ears. Somewhere in the back of her mind, warning bells competed with the deafening thump of her pulse and heart.

  What the heck was she doing? This wasn’t part of the plan. When she finally came to her senses and tried to push away again, his hand smoothed down her back to cup her ass. She barely bit back a whimper. Her response to his uninvited touch was pathetic. How embarrassing. If he didn’t stop, she’d have no pride left. Her only salvation was that he brought the kiss to a slow halt.

  His lips brushed her jaw, his breath scorching the shell of her ear. “Now we can take it outside.”

  If he hadn’t held onto her when he pulled away, she would’ve stumbled. In an effort to maintain some resemblance of dignity, or at least the pretense that she was still in charge of her body and sanity, she straightened her clothes. When she fished a bill from her pocket, his large hand closed around hers.

  “Drinks are on me,” he said. “Isn’t that how the game works?”

  Pulling free, she muttered under her breath, “Instead of mentioning your birthmark, Korum could’ve simply told me you’re obnoxious.”

  “Careful.” He pointed at his ear. “Enhanced hearing, darling.”

  Perplexed, she allowed him to pull her outside with his vice-like fingers locked around her wrist after he’d taken care of the bill.

  The minute they hit the darkness of night, however, she pushed away from him. “How dare you?”

  The infuriating bastard didn’t bother to answer. He only turned his back on her and disappeared around the building.

  “Hey!” She had a childish urge to stamp her foot. “Where are you going?”

  With no choice but to follow, she went in the same direction to find him leaning against a tree, his boot propped up against the trunk.

  “Let’s hear it,” he said in an almost bored tone when she stopped in front of him.

  Obnoxious, scary, damn alien. How she wished she could kick his ass. “I want my family’s safety guaranteed.”

  He clicked his tongue. “So demanding.”

  His gaze roamed over her chest and hips.

  “If this is a trade-off, aren’t you going to tell me first what you have to offer?”

  Suggestive bastard. Swallowing an insult, she said, “Information on the biggest Resistance cell the world is yet to see.”

  He cocked a brow. “The biggest, eh?”

  “That’s what I said.” She couldn’t resist a jibe. “You really should have that chip checked out.”

  He only grinned. “How big?”

  “Thousands.”

  “Here, in Costa Rica?” He sounded doubtful.

  “They’re spread around the world, but their leader is here. The local group is only a few hundred strong. I’m not only talking numbers, but also power. Think senators, religious opinion leaders.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “Presidents.”

  His arm muscles flexed as they tightened across his chest. “You have the names?”

  “I have better. I have proof.”

  Gray eyes narrowed. “Weapons?”

  “They have scientists on their side. I don’t know what they’re working on, but I know it will be big. It’s supposed to catch you unaware, when you least expect it.”

  “Can you get this information?”

  “Yes. I can also tell you all the cities they plan to attack.”

  “Why work from here and not one of your big cities, like New York or London?”

  “Because they plan to bring down Lenkarda first.”

  The K stilled. “Impossible. Our defense system is too advanced.”

  “You’re mistaken. Your protective shield can be destroyed.”

  He moved so quickly she jumped. The one minute he was slumped against the tree, and the next he was in her face. “What’s your role in this movement?”

  “My brothers are second-in-command to the leader.”

  He towered over her, his gaze boring into hers. “You’d betray them?”

  “Not betray them. Save them. My brothers,” she licked her dry lips, “are on a suicide mission.”

  Chapter Two

  “They all are,” said the fragile human with the enticing smell of flowers in her hair.

  Zavir watched her closely, but her beautiful blue eyes gave away no signs of lies. She held his gaze steadily and kept her back straight.

  “This is a war they can’t win,” she continued. “Besides, the information they’re being fed is nothing but propaganda. I don’t believe you’re here to wipe us out.” Her musical voice turned soft. “Are you?”

  “If we wanted to wipe you out, we’d have already done so. Where is this information coming from?”

  “I’m not saying more until we strike a deal.”

  He had to smile at her braveness. So much attitude for such a small creature. “Fine, little human. State your conditions.”

  “I’ll give you names, cities, plans, and proof. Everything. All I ask in return is that you guarantee my family’s safety and freedom. If you take us down, it must be without bloodshed. I don’t want any lives lost.”

  “That’s a tall order.”

  She stood straighter. “Take it or leave it.”

  Wiping a hand over his chin, he battled not to smile. This tiny creature amused him, and he was never amused.

  “Fine,” he said after stretching the moment out with another few seconds. He was reluctant to end their meeting. It was too much fun. “I’ll meet your conditions if you keep your end of the bargain. If not, all bets are off.”

  She stuck out a dainty hand. “Deal.”

  His fingers closed around hers. Her skin was soft and warm, her bones fragile. He liked the silky feel. He wanted to trace his palm up her arm and down her side to cup one of those curves that had been teasing him since he’d set foot in the bar. He wanted to ask her to kiss him again.

  “Deal,” he echoed instead. “How will you get the information?”

  “Let me worry about that,” she said with a smile way too sweet for where his thoughts were going. “When shall our next meeting be?”

  “How soon can you get the information?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  “We need a medium of communication.”

  She shook her dark hair. “Too dangerous. If they find anything on me, I’m finished. Let’s meet back here, same time tomorrow night.”

  “I should be able to fit it into my schedule,” he said
with a wink.

  Her gaze went to the welts on his shoulder. When her eyes widened, he looked at what she was staring. The wounds had fully healed. He was about to tell her the nanocytes in his body were responsible for the miracle, when his advanced hearing picked up approaching footsteps. Before the shadow had fallen from around the corner of the bar, he’d reversed positions with Liv, pushing her up against the tree while placing his body like a shield in front of her. With his enhanced olfactory ability warning him of the sulphuric smell of gunpowder, his only intention was protecting his newly appointed informant from potential danger, but her proximity seduced every one of his advanced senses at the same time the nearing steps confirmed the owner was a man of short height and meager weight, and the swagger in his step that he was most definitely drunk. Keeping one eye on the danger, he couldn’t help but lean closer to his target, caging her between his arms.

  “What are you doing?” she asked in alarm.

  He dragged his nose along the column of her neck. “Shh. Someone’s coming.”

  A hiccup sounded, and a second later a man stumbled from the side of the building toward the border of the jungle. The buckle of his belt was undone. He was probably just going for a piss, but Zavir couldn’t pull himself away from the smell or softness of the skin in front of him. The memory of how her lips had molded under his made him hard all over again, and for a split-second he imagined he could hear the blood coursing through the delicate vein that pulsed in her neck. She lured him, the little siren, seducing him with her vixen attitude and womanly smell. Just one little taste. He flicked his tongue along the curve of her neck, down to her shoulder. The shiver rippling through her didn’t escape him. Neither did the moan she bit back too late, and then everything went haywire.

  His hips rocked forward, drawn to the soft spot between her thighs like a pod to a magnetic landing patch. His fingers clutched at her breasts, grabbing two hands full. His tongue traced her skin, tasting the sweetness of it. It was like a drug. He couldn’t get enough. The pissing man was all but forgotten as Zavir rubbed up against Liv like a lovesick dog.

  “What are you doing?” she cried out again.

  “Giving you an authentic-looking reason for being out here with me,” he lied.

  “Zavir, we must stop.”

  Even as she pushed on his chest, her lower body relaxed against his, her legs opening to accommodate his cock. He needed to taste her. His lips found purchase in the dip where her neck and shoulder met. Kissing her was the sweetest aphrodisiac. She felt the heat, too. He could smell her arousal. She moaned as he sucked, marking her skin. That wanton sound coming from deep in her throat did something to him. For the first time in his life, he lost control. Nothing existed but the exquisite creature in his hold. The hunger consuming him was foreign. The idea was frightening, but more so was letting this moment, this woman, get away. He acted without thinking, sinking his teeth into the welcome softness of her skin to lap up her sweetness. The taste of her blood exploded on his tongue. The effect of it was like a planetary collision. Lust erupted in his veins, setting every cell of his body on fire. His vision went hazy. His erection swelled to the point of pain. His only awareness was the physical need consuming him and demanding more.

  Already fiddling with the zipper of her jeans, a faint but unmistakable sound of distress penetrated his dazed senses. Liv was no longer squirming in ecstasy in the death grip of his arms, but in discomfort. When he stalled in alarm, loosening his hold, she used the small hesitation to jerk her head away, causing his sharp teeth to leave two cuts. Drops of blood trickled down into the collar of her shirt.

  Zut. By the three moons of Krina, he hadn’t meant to do that.

  Judging from the size of her eyes and her frantic heartbeat, she was not only hurting, but also frightened.

  “Hush, little darling,” he said, trying to calm her, but she started fighting him in all earnest.

  The drunkard, who was zipping up, turned his head a fraction. Zavir doubted the man would create any trouble, but he couldn’t take risks. He couldn’t afford complications. He had no choice but to restrain her wrists and held her fast with his body.

  “Quiet. He’s almost gone.”

  The man staggered back toward the bar, shooting them nothing but a glazed-over glance. The minute he disappeared around the building, Zavir let go. Liv’s small hand shot out. Her palm made a sharp sound as it connected with his cheek. For a moment, they only stared at each other, him trying to get his bearings and she with eyes wide from shock. The sting of her fingers lingered on his skin. As he lifted his fingertips to the burn, her lips parted on a gasp. Fear bled into her pretty eyes.

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” he said.

  All that fear morphed into anger. “You shouldn’t have bitten me.”

  No, he shouldn’t have, and he already wanted to again. Alarmed by the pull of the idea, he took a step away from her. She brushed her fingers over the wound he’d left and brought them to her face.

  Her voice carried a hint of panic. “It’s bleeding.”

  “Calm down. I didn’t try to kill you.”

  Her eyes narrowed on him. “I know what you did.”

  Had she done it with another Krinar? Suddenly, he couldn’t stand the thought. Neither could he help himself from asking, “Talking from experience, honey?”

  “Don’t forget, I have friends who live with Ks.”

  His brow lifted at the nickname. He didn’t care for it or the wound she covered with her hand.

  “I can heal that.” He had a nano-healer with him.

  “No, thanks.”

  “Why not?”

  “I have my reasons.”

  If he couldn’t take away her discomfort, the least he could do was offer her an apology.

  “It doesn’t always hurt.”

  “What?” She stared at him with round eyes. “That’s supposed to make me feel better?”

  He shrugged. “It’s an apology.”

  “That’s your idea of an apology?”

  “Take it or leave it.”

  She gaped. For two of those frantic heartbeats that pulsed in her neck, she seemed to be at a loss for words, and then her jaw locked. Pushing his arm aside, she stomped past him in the direction of the jungle.

  “I assume that means our first meeting is over,” he said to her back.

  She turned on her heel. “You’re an asshole.”

  “Tell me something I don’t already know.”

  “If I didn’t need you…” she said through gnashed teeth, letting the rest of her words slide before flinging her frail body once more onto the path that cut into the jungle.

  “The marks will vanish,” he called after her.

  She hurried around the bend in the path, but not before he’d caught a whiff of wet saltiness. Gut softening, his conscience took a knock. Ah, zut. He couldn’t stand her tears. It hadn’t been his intention to make her cry. He only wanted to lighten the situation with some humor to diminish her stress.

  Zut, zut, zut.

  She was right. He was an asshole. It was what had gotten him as far as he’d gotten in the Krinar hierarchy and what kept him alive. Still, he cared as little for the drops of water that spilled from her eyes as for the blood he’d drawn. The female was chiseling at his granite heart, and he didn’t like it. It was a weakness, one that could cost his life.

  He waited a minute before following in her footsteps to make sure she got home safely. There were many dangers in the jungle, not to mention the men from the bar who could have set a trap up ahead. He’d seen the way they’d salivated over her. Rage tightened his chest at the thought.

  His little human was not stupid, though, because she said from the darkness of the jungle, “It won’t do you any good to follow me. The information I promised is not at the house where we stay. The Resistance team isn’t either.”

  He wiped another smile from his face. “I’m only seeing you home safely.”

  “Thank you, but no thank
s. I can take care of myself.” With a last glare in his general direction, she took off again.

  This time, he waited three minutes before following.

  Chapter Three

  “Where have you been?” Hans exclaimed when Liv entered through the back door.

  She jerked. Her spirits sank. She’d hoped they’d be asleep, which at this hour they normally were, but Hans, Erik, and Karl sat around a map spread open on the kitchen table.

  “I went for a walk,” she said, hoping her voice sounded normal.

  Hans’ gaze dropped to her neck. “There’s blood on your collar.”

  Shit. She’d flipped up the collar to hide the wound but didn’t know blood had stained it.

  “It’s nothing.” She resisted the urge to touch the throbbing mark. “A thorn must’ve nicked my skin. You know how overgrown the path is.”

  Turning her back on the men, she lit the gas under the kettle. If she ran off to her room, it would look suspicious.

  “What were you doing out on a walk?” Erik asked. He didn’t sound pleased.

  With a sigh, she faced them again. “I needed some air.”

  “This is the jungle.” Erik gestured around. “Is there anything but air?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  Karl gave her a scrutinizing look. “You shouldn’t have gone alone. If you’d told us, one of us would’ve gone along. It’s not safe.”

  “I’m a big girl.”

  Erik pushed back his chair. “Liv, you don’t–”

  “Let her be,” Hans said. “We all need a bit of space from time to time.”

  Shooting him a grateful smile, she said, “Would you like some tea? I’m making.”

  “Yes,” Hans said, “we can all do with a drink. Make it sweet, will you?”

  “All right, Hans.”

  Not able to hold his piercing gaze, she turned back to the counter, busying herself with the preparation of the tea.

  “As I said,” Karl said, “we’d have to be careful. If we–”

  “That’s enough for tonight,” Hans interjected.

  Liv shot him a glance from over her shoulder. It wasn’t like Hans to interrupt their work, not when it came to the K attack. Erik and Karl shared her sentiment. They both stared at Hans in surprise as he gathered the map and carefully folded it, making space on the table for the tea.