by Liza Probz
“Because the Hareema are considered an extinction-level threat, protocol dictates that they be destroyed on sight.”
Jeffrey frowned. “You’re telling me that your scientists have never studied one?”
Kat’Chinna stared at the floor, raising one shoulder slightly in a shrug. “We’ve studied their remains, what little was left after our energy blasts.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
His harsh tone brought her gaze back to his. “They’re the most dangerous force we’ve ever encountered. It’s considered too dangerous to try and take one prisoner. If it escapes while on Zanthar, we’d have no way of recapturing it. It could lead to our downfall.”
Jeffrey shook his head. He understood the risk. If a Hareema operative could be anyone, it would be very dangerous if it escaped on the home world. Still, for such an advanced race as the Zantharians, it seemed complete folly not to study the enemy in detail.
“You’re telling me that you’ve never had a Hareema captive in your labs? No Hareema has ever set foot on Zanthar.”
The alien female looked away, her face like stone. She’s hiding something.
Jeffrey grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back to face him. “Tell me. The safety of both our worlds hangs in the balance.”
“There have been Hareema infiltrators on Zanthar,” she admitted at last, her icy demeanor cracking, giving way to anger. “Our Minister of Defense was captured by the enemy and impersonated. Because of his position, it took days to discover the truth.”
Jeffrey let her slip from his grip. It was Kat’s turn to pace the room it seemed.
Words tumbled out, freed at last. “It was due to the minister’s infiltration that Dr. Sylvia Cohen’s ship got past our planetary defenses. The Hareema are very clever. They made it seem as if her ship brought down the shields. They turned us against the human race while they attempted to take control of our government.”
Jeffrey almost slapped his own forehead. “Don’t you see?” he nearly shouted. “They’re doing it again, right now! Playing you and me against each other while they plot both our planets’ downfalls!”
He strode to her side, grabbing her again and putting a stop to her pacing. “Goddamn it, Kat, why won’t you trust me? I trust you. I believe you when you say that an alien enemy has left its mark on my ship. I trust that you have your people’s best interest at heart. So trust me.”
His voice was low, urgent. “I don’t want these creatures to take over Earth any more than you want them to have Zanthar. I’ll fight them with every fiber of my being. But I can’t do that if you keep me locked here, asking the same questions over and over again. Questions I have no answer to.”
Her eyes stared up at him. He was struck again by their beauty. She trembled, and he pulled her closer until he embraced her tightly. She felt too good in his arms. It nearly drove him to ignore the danger swirling around them, just to taste her lips again.
“Please,” he whispered, drawing closer. “We have to work together if we are going to have a chance against them. I trust you.”
His mouth was an inch away from hers. “Now you have to trust me.”
Chapter 7
Kat’Chinna fell into the human male’s deep blue eyes and fought against drowning. His words hammered against her mind just as his body tried to persuade her in a different, more sensual way. Could she risk it? Could she trust him?
Trust had never come easily to her. There were few that she allowed into her inner circle, and since being stationed on the Zantharian flagship that number had dwindled to one. Her commander.
And now this human was asking her to stop trusting Major Ontarii and put her faith in him. But I know nothing about him. He could be collaborating…
In that moment, as she floated in the calm sea of blue that was his eyes, Kat’Chinna realized that she did trust him, at least in this. Lieutenant Jeffrey Brunt was not a Hareema collaborator.
He genuinely cared for his crew. He was worried about his people. About his planet.
But does he care for me?
The thought came out of nowhere, and it gave her pause. Why should she care if this human, a virtual stranger, cared about her?
If he wants your trust, you have to know that he will protect your interest, her logical mind replied. You have to know that he won’t jeopardize you unnecessarily. You need to be certain that he has your back when danger comes calling.
That was part of it, she was sure, but not all of it.
I want him to like me, she realized. I want him to desire me. Because I desire the hell out of him.
Kat’Chinna tried hard to ignore the well of feelings that was springing up at this most inopportune of times. It didn’t matter that she felt safe in his arms. Nor was it important that she wanted to be pinned beneath him again, but this time she wanted more than his drugging kisses.
This time she wanted to feel him inside her.
No, she told herself. I can’t be distracted by his body and my own desire, not now. It took every ounce of her strength to make sure her skin didn’t flush purple and betray her.
She had to concentrate to bring her mind back to the task at hand. “Say that I do trust you,” she said, unwilling to admit anything. “what’s your plan?”
His grip loosened as he took a step back. She tried not to mourn the loss of close contact with him. “I don’t have a plan,” he said, “not yet. But I will tell you that I think that a Hareema, at least one, is aboard your ship right now.”
Kat’Chinna stepped away from him and returned to the console. She pulled up the display and called up the latest interior scans.
“Look at these,” she said, calling his attention over to the screen. “The last interior scan of this ship, completed not even twenty minutes ago.”
The human stood beside her and her skin tingled at his closeness.
“This doesn’t prove anything.”
“What?” she asked, turning to him in disbelief. “If we were infiltrated, there would be some sign of Hareema DNA, like we found on your ship.”
“Not necessarily,” he replied. “You said yourself that a Hareema can hold its shape for twelve hours before it has to change back.”
“So you’re saying that someone infiltrated this ship less than twelve hours ago?”
He nodded. “Possibly.”
Kat’Chinna frowned. “But the only ship we’ve come in contact with is yours.”
Jeffrey peered at the screen. “If that’s true, then perhaps you were right all along. There was a Hareema aboard our ship. And now it’s come across to yours.”
“But that’s impossible,” she fired back. “You’ve all been tested. None of you humans could be Hareema or you would have melted under our energy blasts.”
“That still leaves one person who could have been impersonated by the enemy.”
Kat’Chinna knew exactly who he meant. “Major Ontarii. You keep insisting that the commander isn’t who he seems. But what evidence do you have?”
“Only what you’ve told me,” he said, his hand coming up to tick off the points backing up his supposition. “He broke protocol when he entered the ship by not initiating the energy exchange immediately upon boarding. He also had the prisoners brought aboard without testing. Why have them tested when he already knows he’s the Hareema?”
Jeffrey continued. “He’s distracted you with a meaningless task. He’s disengaged from my ship and plotted a course somewhere. He’s locked you out of the navigation display, and he’s refused to tell you where we’re headed. What else do you need, a declaration signed in red jelly?”
His words made sense, even though she didn’t want to admit it. The human was clever. Smarter than she would have expected from a primitive race.
Still, she’d trusted Major Ontarii with her life for years. He’d never before let her down. “It could just be the stress of the situation. It would be easy to forget-“
The human male shook his head. “You didn’t
forget. You immediately insisted on protocol being followed. You understood the risk of the situation. If your commanding officer is as trustworthy as you insist, then he would have made doubly certain to confirm our identities and his own. He would be sure not to risk the flagship’s security.”
Kat’Chinna lowered her head into her hands. “Just stop. Give me a moment to think.” She ran through the events of the last couple hours, trying desperately to find anything to refute his logic.
Her mind rebelled at the thought of her commander being compromised. If the Major Ontarii on her ship were a Hareema plant, that meant the real Major Ontarii was still on the human ship.
No, Major Ontarii wouldn’t let himself be captured so easily. He’d been the solid rock of her life since she’d taken the assignment under his command. If the human was wrong and she moved against him, her career, not to mention her personal relationship with Major Ontarii would be flushed down the tubes.
The personal risk to her in making that move was too great. Even though she’d never felt the kind of lust the human engendered in her before, she would have given her heart to Major Ontarii a hundred times over if he’d wanted it. They had a history, of sorts, one that she couldn’t risk on such a dangerous gambit.
“Let’s assume for a moment that Major Ontarii is still himself. That would mean this scan is correct, and there are no Hareema on the ship.”
Jeffrey’s brows furrowed. “Not necessarily,” he said after a moment’s pause. “That scan could be faked.”
Kat’Chinna didn’t like the thought of that. “But that would mean that the Hareema were already on the ship before we encountered your vessel.”
The human agreed. “It isn’t too big a leap. You wanted me to believe Hareema agents were hiding among my crew. So why not yours?”
“Our protocols, for one,” Kat’Chinna countered. “Each hour we initiate energy exchanges between our crewmembers.”
“And you still insist that the exchange couldn’t be faked?”
Kat’Chinna nodded. “How could it? If a Hareema came in contact with our bioelectricity, it would not be able to hold a stable shape. We’d discover the agent immediately.”
“Unless both crewmembers were Hareema.”
Kat’Chinna’s mouth fell open. “What?”
“You’ve been fighting this enemy for how long now? You don’t think it would be familiar with your tactics? You told me yourself that they’d managed to impersonate your Minister of Defense. You don’t think they’d leave themselves vulnerable to being discovered by an energy exchange, or a scan for that matter, do you?”
Although she didn’t want to, she had to admit that the human had a point. How could the minister have made it so far unless they’d figured out a way around Zantharian exposure protocols?
“If you’re right, then that means…”
She heard the human step closer, could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck. “It means your crew could be infested with enemy agents.”
“No.” The word came out in a whisper.
His warm hands were on her shoulders, turning her around. “I know it seems unthinkable, but we have to face facts.”
His hand came up to brush against the tendrils on her head. They had become agitated as her worry increased.
“Fascinating,” he said, his eyes filled with wonder as he stroked her head. “So soft. A thousand times softer than silk.”
His touch was unsettling, and for a moment she considered breaking the contact. But the truth was, it felt too good.
The human had a calming effect on her, one that was entirely unexpected. She wanted to lean into his arms and rely on him to make her feel safe.
But this was no time to give in to temptation. She couldn’t relax if what he said was correct. The enemy could already be in control of her ship, and his. Kat’Chinna couldn’t afford to lower her guard, no matter how badly she wanted to.
“Jeffrey,” she said, her voice low. She took his hand and returned it to his side.
“Kat.” His voice was gruff, his tone urgent. “Don’t shut me out. Not now.” His hands rose to cup her face. “We could be the only two people in the universe who understand what’s at stake.”
His words pounded against the barriers she had carefully erected over the years. She could feel cracks starting to form.
Kat’Chinna knew it was wrong, that now was not to the time to give in to urges she could barely understand. But he was right. He’d thrown doubt onto every other person on this ship and beyond it. The world had shrunk to the two of them, locked in a room together and forced to rely on one another to survive.
It didn’t seem so bad, then. She could have done worse than a tall, strong male whose kisses set fire to her insides.
She watched his face as she leaned closer. His eyes widened slightly, and she thought she saw a dazed look on his face.
“Your skin is changing again,” he whispered, his mouth a breath away from hers. “I think I’m beginning to see what purple means.”
Kat’Chinna smiled. She couldn’t help herself.
His face changed when he caught sight of her smile. The expression was one she wasn’t entirely sure of, but the longing in his eyes was familiar. It must be mirrored in her own eyes.
“Kat,” he groaned, this seized her lips in a ferocious kiss.
She surrendered immediately under the onslaught, opening her mouth and allowing his tongue entry. She twined her tongue with his and he moaned into her mouth, tightening his grip on her.
When he pulled back, the look in his eyes set her blood to boiling. “I want you like I’ve never wanted another woman,” he said, his lips against hers.
Kat’Chinna ran her tongue along his bottom lip, and he growled. Moving his hands to her hips, he lifted her and wrapped her long legs around his middle. Then he claimed her mouth again, stealing her heart.
Her vision went dim, her mind swirling the possibilities. Unable to make complete thoughts while he ravished her mouth, Kat’Chinna gave in to the feelings and stopped trying to think. She tightened her legs around him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and holding on for dear life.
She kissed him back with all the passion inside her, a passion she’d kept hidden for most of her life. He’d told her earlier that she was incapable of feeling the kind of desire she’d pretended during her mock seduction.
Now he’d see how wrong he was.
“My God,” he groaned against her lips. “I can’t resist you. I knew it from the moment I saw you that I had to taste you.”
He walked them across the room, lying her down gently on the table without loosening his grip. His lips continued their explorations, his kiss increasing in intensity until Kat was writhing beneath him, begging for more than just his mouth on hers.
“Shh….” he breathed as he pulled away.
She whimpered, instantly missing his kiss.
Jeffrey gave a throaty chuckle. “I knew you were made of fire, if I could just melt the ice.” His hands slipped down, tracing over her throat, across her breastbone.
She closed her eyes and arched under his touch, wanting so much more. Her eyes opened as he tugged hard on her top. He’d pulled it down to expose her breasts.
“Fucking magnificent,” he said, his voice reverent. “You’re so goddamn beautiful.”
He moved down and licked along her neck, slipping lower, and leaving a burning trail of kisses along her flesh. He licked at her right breast, finding the nipple and teasing it, which drove her into a frenzy.
His slow, tormenting licks were like nothing she’d ever felt, driving her passion higher and higher.
“Just look at you. Your skin flushed purple. Even your nipples are a dark violet. Incredible, baby.”
She reached up to grab the back of his head and pressed him back down toward her breast, not wanting him to speak. She only wanted his lips on her skin.
He gave another laugh and returned to his torture, licking and sucking her until her nipp
le was a stiff peak. Longing drove through her stomach. She wanted to belong to him more than she’d wanted anything in her long life.
Then his mouth was on her other breast, giving it the same treatment. His actions seemed to increase in urgency, the small noises of enjoyment he was making was causing her hips to lift of their own accord.
“I never want to stop,” he whispered, moaning and capturing her nipple between his teeth. The little nip he gave her made her cry out, at the same time causing a rush of liquid to her core.
“Please don’t stop,” she whispered and ran her fingers through the soft hair on the back of his head.
He continued teasing her breasts with his mouth as his hands slid lower, soft touches feathering over her taut belly, lower, until he was pulling her shorts away, exposing her skin to the air.
A moment of hesitation hit her.
She was nearly naked on the interrogation room table, allowing a human access to her most intimate parts. Then his mouth started moving lower, long licks down her belly until his tongue encircled her navel.
At that sensation, she surrendered entirely, giving herself over to the pleasure that he was bringing her.
His breath hit the apex between her thighs, and it caused her to shake. He looked up at her and smiled, and she relaxed, spreading herself wider for him.
“My God,” he breathed in awe. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.” He planted a soft kiss above her entrance, and her shaking increased.
Jeffrey lifted her legs to settle them over his shoulder. “Your scent. It’s driving me crazy, Kat. You smell like…I can’t describe it…but it’s so fucking hot. It’s making my mouth water.”
She groaned and tried to keep from pulling back. She’d never been willing to give herself over to anyone for exploration, but Jeffrey was different.
“I have to taste you,” he growled. “Nothing could stop me.”
Then his lips were on her, parting her folds, licking and sucking as she gripped the table and arched forward. He continued his torture, kissing and licking before allowing his tongue to probe deeper. His teasing was making her insane, causing her hips to lift, begging him for more.
