Honorable Rogue

by Linda J. Parisi

  He didn’t answer. He didn’t let go. Not while they walked out of the station. Not while they stormed down the steps over to his car. He opened the passenger door and held out his hand for the keys. She dropped them into his waiting palm. He practically threw her into the seat. As he shut the door, his other hand ran over the dent in the roof.

  Uh-oh. Not good. Um, make that very not good.

  They drove back to her townhouse in silence. Thankfully, the ride was less than two minutes. Hunter pulled into a parking space, got out, and slammed his door so the car shook. Then he opened her door, grabbed her arm, yanked her out, and didn’t let go. This time she was sure she’d end up with a bruise.

  Tori opened her mouth to defend herself.

  “Don’t!” he cried.

  He nodded to Mercy and her men as they climbed the few steps onto her small porch, then he shoved the front door open. “Wait a minute,” she protested, wondering how that could be.

  “It was already open.”

  Casperian.

  Hunter slammed the door shut and threw the dead bolt. The next thing she knew, he had her pinned up against the wood. His mouth didn’t just engulf hers, he inhaled her.

  Anger. Frustration. Ah, there it was. Fear for her. All in his kiss. Sometimes there weren’t words. There couldn’t be. Sometimes there was no softness. There couldn’t be. Only need.

  Tori ripped at his shirt buttons. He was already unsnapping her slacks and pushing them down. She stepped out of them.

  His fist wrapped in her hair, pulling her head back. Fire. Heat. Lightning. All in his gaze. Hunger. Not just for her body. For more.

  His hand clawed at his belt. He unsnapped his pants and unzipped his fly. “You.” He shoved his clothes down to his knees. “Disobeyed.” One arm lifted her against the door. “My.” The other spread her legs. “Direct. Order.”

  He positioned himself at her core and paused; she nodded and waited with bated breath until he slammed into her. God, she wanted him. He pulled out and slammed into her again, filling her body. He felt so good inside. So right. Tori moaned as he pulled out. And opened her eyes in surprise when he didn’t thrust again.

  He let her slide down his body and captured her mouth with his. His gaze promised torture. Every touch of his tongue promised ecstasy. He broke away, and she watched his flesh grow even larger, making her want a piece of this bad boy.

  Instead, Hunter pushed the clothes off his legs and grabbed her arm with the same fierce grip as before. He threw her at the couch, bending her over the armrest. There would be no gentleness between them, no give and take, only animal mating on the most primal of levels.

  Tori already knew Hunter wasn’t simply communicating about disobeying orders.

  She grunted as he entered her, balancing her weight on the couch. He didn’t just fill her, he tried to shove his entire body inside her.

  Pushing her blouse up her back to her shoulders, he unsnapped her bra, while grinding and twisting and turning his hips into her core.

  “More,” she gasped. “I want more.”

  He gave her exactly that.

  Her breasts fell into his waiting palms. He pulled on her nipples, just this side of causing pain. Tori moaned louder.

  He leaned down against her back, his breath hot and moist against her ear. Then he withdrew until he was just at the edge of her core and pushed inside until his body ground against her mound again, with her fingers fisted in the couch cushions to hold on.

  “You,” he bit out between rapid breaths.

  All the way out and all the way in. Tori’s insides twisted and tumbled all over themselves.

  “Will,” he continued.

  His incisors grew. They scraped against her back as he licked her skin. And he tweaked her nipples, shooting fire through her body.

  “Never.”

  He slipped his fingers lower, brushing against her nub.

  “Do that.”

  He pulled out and pushed in, pistoning in and out with a force just this side of brutal. Faster. In. Out. In. Out.

  “Again.”

  Fat chance.

  Tori screamed. She orgasmed so quickly she almost missed the build.

  He brushed her nub again, and she thought she’d never stop coming. And in the next moment, his breath hitched. He pumped once. Twice. And then he came with her.

  Hunter kept up the pressure, and Tori simply kept coming. Until finally, with one last scream, a huge explosion melted her bones.

  He fell onto her back, both drawing in huge gulps of air. He didn’t kiss her. Didn’t drink from her. Simply pulled out, put on his clothes, straightened them, and walked out of the front door.

  Tori lifted. Her legs shook. She glanced down at her arm to see a red mark where he’d grabbed her. There was a soreness between her legs which wouldn’t be gone by tomorrow morning. Not once had she ever thought he would hurt her.

  Bemused, she picked up her slacks and thong, threw them onto the bed, and went into the bathroom. She undressed and stepped into the shower. Suddenly, Tori realized he was mad at her. Damned mad. Vampire mad.

  Then she grinned. If this was angry sex, she couldn’t wait for makeup sex.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Hunter stood in the middle of the parking lot of her townhouse, wondering how he’d gotten there. His insides churned, digging and clawing. With what? What did he want so badly that he’d be this physical with a human being?

  “I’d have strung her up by her thumbs, but she might’ve liked that.”

  There was a voice he really wanted to hear. “Vanessa,” Hunter growled.

  “No. Really. I enjoyed the show. Would’ve been better in person, but…”

  This time Hunter really let his ire be known. “Vanessa.”

  She threw back her head and laughed, making Hunter feel about two feet tall. “Instead of standing there mocking me, you should be out there doing your job tracking his soldiers.”

  “Mercy beat me to it,” she replied, her tone amused. “Besides, this was much more fascinating. Still is, I think.”

  Hunter turned back toward Tori’s place to give her a piece of his mind. Again, she beat him to it. Damn that long-legged lope of hers. He inhaled deeply. She smelled like bodywash. Not floral or tropical. Crisp and clean. “You don’t own me.”

  Vanessa stilled beside him and sucked in her breath. When he didn’t explode right away, really wishing for some privacy now, he listened to Vanessa guffaw. “I am so loving this.”

  He watched Tori turn. “Who are you?”

  “Vanessa,” she answered, trying to hide her mirth—and failing. “Charles and I work together.”

  “Another vampire cop,” Tori deduced.

  Vanessa shrugged. “You seem to need extra protection. I’m the cavalry.”

  “I do, do I?”

  Vanessa smiled. “You don’t seem happy about my being here. Oh well. Ta-ta, darlings. I’ll just leave you two lovebirds alone to figure it out.”

  “It,” Tori repeated.

  As cryptic as ever, Vanessa simply waved goodbye and got into her car and left. Hunter braced himself for the storm he knew was coming.

  “Alone at last,” Tori said, her gaze blazing.

  “Look. I know I was a little rough, and it was my fault. I lost control. But you do have to admit it wasn’t all me.”

  “We’ll get to that part in a moment,” she told him, her voice rising. “First and foremost, I don’t take orders from you. Do you understand?”

  “You’ll do what I want you to do when I tell you so you don’t get yourself killed,” he bit out.

  “No.”

  Did he just hear her right? “Excuse me?”

  “I said no. I’m not one of your soldiers. I’m not one of your people. You don’t own me. And you certainly don’t control me.”

  Hunter’s jaw snapped shut. His hands fisted. He could feel tiny tremors in his fingertips. “You’ll do what I say when I say it.”

  She stared at him. Was there
amusement in her gaze? “No.”

  His blood boiled. Was she crazy? Did she want to die? For as sure as he was standing in front of her, death was what Casperian wanted.

  “What are you going to do, Hunter?” she goaded. “Lock me up? Throw away the key? Make me your prisoner?”

  “For starters.”

  “Go ahead,” she dared.

  He reached out to do exactly as she said, when he stopped. Perplexed, he realized he didn’t understand what was happening between them. “What?”

  “I said go ahead.” She smiled, this time with all the certainty of the universe. “You see? You have no real power over me unless I give it to you.”

  Wait a minute. Why were things all backward? She should’ve been following his orders. She should’ve been scared. All right, at least concerned. If for no other reason than her own safety.

  “Of course I have power over you. I can pick you up, carry you over to the car, knock you out, and take you back to New York.”

  She nodded, her features serene. “Yes. You can. And hold me there against my will. Even keep me there until I hate you. You can physically kill me with a snap of your fingers.”

  So why did everything feel so wrong?

  “But you only have power over me,” she continued, “if I give you that power. You can do anything you like to me, physically. But you don’t own my soul. And you never will.”

  “I don’t want to own you. I want to protect you.”

  She stared at him, pity filling her gaze. “When I want your protection, I’ll ask for it.” She sighed.

  “How dare you,” he hissed.

  “Dare? I don’t think you understand. By refusing your offer I’m not trying to insult you. I’m trying to make you understand I can take care of myself.”

  “You can?” he asked, drawing himself up to his full height, his tone filled with scorn.

  Tori scowled. “I believe in myself, Hunter. No one handed anything to me during my life.” She drew in a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “I fought and scraped for it all, especially my medical degree. The father of my child walked out on me, never acknowledged she existed. I had a choice: get strong or die.”

  He knew that choice well.

  “I got strong, Hunter. And it’s why I believe I would be able to hold onto the tiny kernel that makes me…me.”

  Hunter couldn’t help the next words that shot out of his mouth. “Are you sure that tiny kernel is you and not the wall you’ve built to protect yourself?”

  She grimaced. “I’m not. I don’t think it matters.”

  “Oh, but it does.”

  “Why?” she asked. “Strong is strong. If we’re going to talk about building walls, why didn’t you? Why haven’t you?”

  “You don’t understand,” Hunter roared, all the pain and anguish of centuries a knot in his belly which became a hot poker, burning and twisting inside. “I did. I have. And it doesn’t make any difference. Walls can always be broken.”

  “And they can be rebuilt.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Tori sat on her couch, unsure if she’d done the right thing. After all, he was two thousand years old. You’d think he’d know better. Humans could defend themselves. Humans could be just as strong as vampires. Maybe just not physically.

  A knock sounded on the door. “It’s open,” she groused.

  Another reason to drink. She took a large sip from her wineglass before looking up. “Oh. Hello, Sam.”

  Sam stared down at her with a bemused smile. “May I sit down?”

  Bitterly Tori answered, “Why do you even bother asking? You know you can, and I wouldn’t be able to stop you. You’re stronger than I am physically, but physical strength doesn’t mean I can’t protect myself.”

  “Which becomes a problem for Hunter, doesn’t it?” Sam sat, back perfectly straight yet completely at ease. “I’m not sure if it’s part chivalry or honor or pride. Maybe it’s duty. Or all the above. He doesn’t understand.”

  “He doesn’t want to understand. There’s a difference.”

  Sam nodded. “Yes. He’s stubborn. Just one of the many ways he’s protected himself throughout the centuries.”

  “I know how to be stubborn too.”

  “Yes. But inside you, you carry a spark of defiance, the spark that says this is still my home no matter what you do to me or it, and you always will. ”

  “I do.” She rose to refill her glass. “Would you like some? Nothing special. Just a simple red.”

  “Yes, I would. Thank you.”

  Tori poured another glass and handed it to Sam before sitting again. “Allow me,” Sam said. “To life.”

  She inclined her head to the words and all the implications that went with them. “Yes. To life.” The touched glasses and drank.

  “I told Hunter to go away,” Sam added. “Mercy and her men and Vanessa were already gone by the time I arrived.”

  “Thank you.”

  She paused, unable to stop the question from filling her mind. Sam answered with a picture of him walking along the beach. Solitary and alone. “Forgive me. The invasion was probably unfair. I can leave if you wish.”

  Tori laughed. “First, I just invited you to share a drink so that would be rude. Second, I’m independent, not stupid.”

  Sam smiled. “I’m beginning to like you more and more, Tori. You remind me of myself in some ways. And yes, my statement is a little narcissistic, so I hope you’ll forgive my arrogance.” She studied Tori, and Tori gave back as good as she got. “You are indeed independent. You’ve also gotten Hunter to think for the first time in his existence.”

  Tori could feel the heat creeping up into her cheeks. “At the cost of my privacy. I mean, closed doors are meant to keep things in, aren’t they?”

  “Yes. And I’m sorry about the lack of privacy. We really do try to be discreet.” She hesitated. “I’m not trying to pry. I can’t help but hear. Your family. Their destruction is true?”

  Tori nodded. “Yes.” More words were unnecessary. Sam’s darkened gaze told her Sam could feel her pain.

  “I’m sorry.”

  She sighed. And took a few minutes to regroup.

  “Hunter can be…trying at times,” Sam continued.

  “Umm,” Tori muttered, a bit abashed. “Yeah. And shouting in the middle of a parking lot made my privacy go out the window, didn’t it?” Sam started to answer, and Tori held up her hand. “Rhetorical question, and mostly my fault.” She gulped the wine this time. “For the record, I may be impulsive but I’m not stupid. I knew it was a trap. I didn’t realize I was the bait until it was too late. I thought this was strictly Hunter’s gig.”

  “I know.” Sam sipped and turned the wineglass a couple of times, swirling the liquid inside. “You’re right. Nothing fancy. Just a simple wine.”

  “So am I.”

  Sam stared, then beamed. “Oh, I don’t know.” She watched Sam’s gaze travel over her home but found no judgment when that gaze returned to hers. “We still need your help Tori.”

  “I know. I’m not going to back out now.”

  “Thank you.” Sam leaned back and relaxed into the sofa, and Tori realized some of her importance to these people. She found she liked being needed. The dead didn’t need.

  “Actually, while you and Hunter have been creating a commotion here, I’ve been able to dig elsewhere.”

  She watched in amusement as Sam rummaged around in a Coach backpack-purse. Who’d have thought?

  “Why not?” Sam asked. “I’m not allowed to enjoy Coach or Dior?”

  Tori shook her head. “No offense meant. But given most of you are soldiers, well, Stacy and I were wondering if any of you would understand a girl’s night out.”

  Sam’s face lit up. “Show me.” She stilled, then her mouth quirked, became a grin, then a full-blown smile. “I think I would like this thing every much. Although I’m not sure about the chocolate, this actor is very enticing.”

  Sam reached into her bag and p
ulled out a vial filled halfway with a pale-pink fluid. “Anyway, I managed to collect this from one of the vampires who attacked you a few days ago. He’d begun turning rogue. By my estimate, he was only a few months old.”

  She handed Tori the tube. Tori rose, got a biohazard bag out of her medical kit, put it in, and put the specimen in the refrigerator. “Obviously impossible. Right?” Sam continued. “So I probed his mind. One word. Nirvana. The name of the drug this Casperian is using to create the rogues. And a thought. One that scares me to the marrow not in my bones. Thousands like him.”

  “Are you sure? I mean, Casperian’s got to understand. If he destroys every human, he destroys his own food supply.”

  “That would be logical. However, this is about power, not logic. For Hitler, soldiers and armies were just a means to an end. Complete control of the earth was his objective.”

  “Well, gee, total destruction makes a ton of sense,” she mocked. “What’s the good of ruling rocks and sand? Without humans? Vampires won’t exist. I don’t get it.”

  “Neither do I,” Sam sighed. “Anyway, this Nirvana also seems to be addicting. More than one drop, I was able to ascertain, and it starts the onset of going rogue. But the process seems to be slow as if the Nirvana is fighting with the youth of the vampire.”

  Tori bolted upright. Could it be this simple?

  “You’ve thought of something.”

  Tori started bouncing, she was so excited. “Yes. Of course. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. Cell aging.”

  “Cell aging?” Sam echoed.

  “Mitochondria. Out-of-control pistons. An engine that won’t stop firing.”

  “I understand the analogy, but I’m not quite sure I understand the context.”

  “The only cells that don’t have mitochondria are red blood cells. They don’t need them. Their main function is to transport oxygen—oxygen mitochondria gives to other cells that need it. The cells that do have mitochondria convert ADP into ATP and back again. And every time it cycles, energy is given off. It’s how the body keeps going.”

  Tori jumped up and began to pace. She gulped some wine, coughed as it went down the wrong way, and set the glass aside. She needed her wits about her now.