Gathering Darkness: A Paranormal Romance Collection

by Anna Zaires

  “What is it?” asked Mia warily, not taking it from her.

  “It’s a weapon,” said Leslie, “a weapon that you can use to protect yourself in case Korum figures out what happened before we have a chance to neutralize him.”

  “Neutralize him?”

  Leslie sighed. “As per your request, we’ll try to capture him alive, so he can be deported back to Krina. It’s not going to be easy, but we’ll do our best.”

  Mia swallowed. “What . . . um, when are you going to do it?”

  “We can’t do it before the shields are down, and the attack on the K Centers is underway. He might be able to warn them, or get reinforcements, if we try to take him now, so we can’t risk it. It’ll have to be almost simultaneous. He’s not the only one. There are other Ks who are outside their Centers right now. As soon as they learn of the attack on their colonies—and they’ll learn it almost immediately—they will join in the fight. But they’re not in some remote areas—they are in our cities, near our government centers. If they realize that we’ve broken the treaty, they will attack us—and many civilian lives will be lost before we would be able to stop them. So we need to plan everything very carefully, or else it’s going to turn into a bloodbath.”

  This was bad, thought Mia. Really bad. She hadn’t thought of that aspect—other Ks who, like Korum, were living among humans for whatever reason. Strong, fast, and armed with K technology, even one individual could inflict a tremendous amount of damage on the human population. She tried to imagine Korum fighting to protect his kind, and shuddered at the thought. Just that one brief glimpse of his rage in the club had been frightening. She had no doubt that he could be truly brutal if the occasion called for it.

  Turning her attention back to the little object, Mia asked, “So what is this weapon supposed to do?”

  “It dissolves molecular bonds, breaking down everything in its path,” said Leslie. “Essentially, it’ll turn whatever you want into dust. It’s a simple miniature version of the big weapon we intend to use to make the Ks surrender.”

  Aghast, Mia stared at the small, harmless-looking device in Leslie’s palm. “So it could turn a person to dust?”

  Leslie nodded. “It’ll work on whatever is in its path. The nanomachines it releases work for a period of only about thirty seconds before they become inactive, but that time is usually enough to completely dissolve a person. You don’t even need to worry about shooting him in the chest or whatever—if the nanos get on any part of his body, he’s toast.”

  Mia nearly gagged at the thought. “What? No! I could never do something like this!” she exclaimed in horror. “I can’t use it on him—”

  “You can, and you will,” said Leslie, “if your life is at stake. I have no idea if he’ll make the connection between what’s happening in the K Centers and you—but he’s supposed to be some kind of a genius, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he did.” Running her hand through her short hair in a frustrated motion, Leslie added, “And it’s best if you do it quickly, before he has a chance to react. Just point and shoot, no thinking . . . do you understand me? They’re fast, Mia, really fast.”

  Mia shook her head. “I won’t do it. I can’t—”

  Leslie shrugged. “That’s your call. If you’d rather die, then so be it—it’s none of my business. John asked me to give it to you, and here it is. You can take it and not use it, if that’s what you want. But at least you won’t be completely helpless when all this shit goes down.” She put the device on Mia’s lap. “If you want to use it, just feel for the little indentation on the side—if you press firmly there, it’s going to go off. Just be sure to point the rounded end toward him—”

  Mia shook her head again. “I won’t use it,” she said with firm conviction.

  Leslie looked at her with something resembling pity. “You idiot,” she said softly, “you’ve fallen for the monster, haven’t you?”

  Mia looked away. “That’s none of your business,” she said quietly, examining her fingernails. “I did what needed to be done. He’ll leave, and that’s all there is to it.”

  “You stupid girl,” said Leslie in a contemptuous tone, “you’re nothing to him—less than nothing. He’ll crush you like a bug if you’re anywhere in the vicinity when we attack. Just because he likes to fuck you doesn’t mean he’ll have mercy on you if he learns what you’ve done. He’s slept with hundreds of women just like you—thousands, probably—and you’re nothing special—”

  “You don’t know anything!” interrupted Mia, feeling each word like a stab in the heart. “You’ve never even met him—”

  Leslie’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t need to meet him to know exactly what he’s like—what all of them are like, Mia. They have no regard for us, for human life. We’re just an experiment to them, something they’ve created. As far as they’re concerned, we’re their creatures—theirs to do with as they please. And if it pleases them, they will get rid of us and take over our planet for their own use. And you’re a fool if you think he’s somehow different. He’s as bad as they come—he’s the one who led them here . . .”

  Leslie was right. Mia knew all of that with the rational part of her mind, but her stupid heart refused to get with the program. The knowledge that he would be gone from her life in a few short days was strangely painful, and the thought that he might be harmed in the process made her stomach twist with fear. And yet Leslie was right—he probably would not hesitate to kill her if he learned that her actions had threatened the Ks’ agenda here on Earth.

  She didn’t want to die, but she didn’t think she could kill him, not even in self-defense.

  Taking a deep breath, Mia asked, “When is it happening? How long until the attack takes place?”

  Leslie hesitated, apparently wondering if Mia was still trustworthy.

  “Leslie,” Mia said wearily, “I know what would happen if he found out I was helping you. I won’t warn him. I can’t, not without losing my life in the process. I have no regrets about what I’ve done. Just because I can’t kill someone I’ve been intimate with for the past month doesn’t mean I would betray our cause. I just want to know how much longer I have—”

  “Until tomorrow,” said Leslie. “You have until tomorrow. My advice is to disappear in the morning—get away as far as you can. Don’t pack, don’t do anything to raise his suspicions. Just leave. One way or another, everything will be over by this weekend.”

  ***

  That evening, Korum came home late, closer to nine o’clock.

  Mia found herself pacing back and forth in the living room starting at five o’clock, unable to sit still or relax in anticipation of what was to come. If Leslie had told her the truth, this would be her last night together with Korum . . . and maybe the last night she was alive. To maximize her chances of survival, she decided to follow Leslie’s advice about leaving first thing in the morning. Korum would likely be gone from the apartment by then, and she would have a chance to escape—maybe taking the subway to one of the boroughs. The dissolver, as she’d decided to call it, was sitting in her purse, safe and sound. She had no intention of using it on Korum, but it was still good to know that she had something she could defend herself with, in case all hell did break loose on Friday.

  Just to keep herself busy, she went through her closet and tried on a few of her new dresses. Her wardrobe was so large now that many of her clothes still had tags on them, and she had no idea what she owned. Everything fit her perfectly, of course; the shoppers from Saks had done their job. After an hour of trying on one outfit after another, Mia settled on a simple grey sleeveless dress, made of some cotton-silk blend, that hugged her upper body and flared gently from the waist down to her knees. Despite the conservative color and cut, it looked stylish and sexy—as did most of what Mia wore now. To go with the dress, Mia decided to apply some makeup, putting on one coat of mascara and a light dusting of powder. She had no idea why it was suddenly so important to look good tonight, since she didn’t normally ob
sess over such things, but she wanted to appear particularly attractive to Korum this evening. Finishing the outfit with a pair of strappy black heels, Mia resumed her impatient pacing.

  He had given her a phone number where he could be reached in case she needed him, but Mia had never used it before. As eight o’clock rolled by, however, she seriously contemplated calling him to find out his whereabouts. But that would be so far out of character for her that he might wonder—and she didn’t want to chance his getting suspicious.

  Finally, the door opened at a quarter to nine. He came in, dressed in a simple pair of blue jeans and a black T-shirt. It didn’t matter what he wore, of course; he would have looked stunning in rags. At the sight of her standing there, a wide dimpled smile appeared on his beautiful face, lighting his features and making those amber eyes crinkle at the corners. And then a familiar golden glow lit his gaze.

  Before she had a chance to say anything, he was next to her, lifting her up effortlessly for a deep, thorough kiss. His tongue stabbed into her mouth, and Mia wound her arms around him and kissed him back, passionately and a little desperately. Her legs found their way around his hips, and they stayed like that, locked in each others’ arms, until Mia was gasping for breath and writhing against him, her breasts rubbing against his chest and her sex grinding on his pelvis. He groaned low in his throat, and she could feel his erection grow even bigger, pressing into her nether regions through the material that separated them. Holding her up with one arm, he found the lacy scrap of material that covered her pussy and tore it off, his fingers petting and exploring her moist folds. Mia moaned, driven nearly mindless with desire, and heard the sound of a zipper sliding down. And then he was inside her, his cock thrusting up into her even as he still held her like that, lifted up against him while he was standing in the middle of the living room.

  Shocked at the suddenness of his penetration, Mia cried out, her inner tissues struggling to accommodate the intrusion, and he paused for a second, letting her get used to the feel of him in the unfamiliar position. And then he started moving, raising her up and down with one hand while his other hand buried itself in her hair, bringing her mouth back toward him. There was no slow and gentle build-up this time, as everything inside Mia tensed simultaneously, and then she was hurling into the climax, her muscles clamping down on his shaft, and he was coming too, so deeply inside her that she felt his contractions in her belly.

  Panting, Mia collapsed against him, unable to believe that this happened just now, in the span of all of two minutes. His breathing was heavy as well, and she could feel his powerful chest moving up and down as she hung in his grasp, his cock still inside her. Once the pulsations of his orgasm ended, he lifted her up and placed her carefully on the ground, his hands still wrapped around her waist. Mia’s legs were shaking, and she clung to him, grateful for the support.

  Staring up at him, Mia noticed that his eyes were returning back to their regular amber color. His lips curling into a small, wry smile, he said huskily, “I guess I have to apologize again—clearly I don’t have any control where you’re concerned. I really didn’t mean to jump you like that first thing. You’re probably hungry too . . .”

  Mia actually was, but it didn’t matter. Blushing a little at the feel of his semen sliding down her leg, she mumbled quietly, “No, no need for apologies . . . you know that I really enjoyed it too . . .”

  His smile now held purely masculine satisfaction. “I’m glad,” he murmured. “Now how about some dinner?”

  Mia nodded in agreement, and blushed even more when he disappeared for a second and came back with a paper towel that he handed to her. Embarrassed, Mia looked away as she cleaned off the remnants of their passion.

  He laughed softly. “You’re still such a prude,” he teased gently. “We’ll have to cure you of that at some point. It’s all natural, you know.”

  Mia shrugged, purposefully not meeting his eyes. For some reason, she still had these occasional bouts of shyness around him, despite all the hot and raunchy sex they’ve had in the past month.

  Korum laughed some more, and then asked, “Since you’re dressed so nicely, how do you feel about going out for some French cuisine?”

  Mia felt great about that, and she told him so.

  “Okay, then, let me take a quick rinse and change, and we’ll go,” he said, stripping off the T-shirt on the way to the bathroom. The sight of his lean, muscled back made her insides clench with desire again. Why him, she wondered again in desperation, why did he have to be the one to make her feel this way? And how would she be able to bear it when he was gone for good?

  The dinner was at a little French place Mia had never heard of. Nonetheless, the meal was outstanding, from the ratatouille Mia had gotten for her main course to the super-light pastry they ended up sharing for dessert.

  “So are you now officially done with school for this year?” Korum asked, taking a sip of his red wine. He seemed to like wine and champagne, Mia had noticed, although she had never seen it have any effect on him. Then again, she’d never seen him have more than a couple of glasses.

  “That’s it,” she replied, spearing a piece of zucchini with her fork. “The school year is officially over for me. I turned in all the papers today, and now I can be a total bum.”

  He grinned. “Somehow I can’t quite envision you bumming around all day. Ever since I’ve known you, you’ve been busy studying or doing something for school.” Reaching for her, he lightly stroked her cheek, his expression becoming more serious. “It’ll be nice to have you relax a little. You’ve been working way too hard in these past couple of weeks. I don’t think all that stress is good for your health.”

  Mia gave him a surprised look. “I’m fine,” she protested. “I feel great—it’s really not a problem at all.”

  Korum regarded her intently, a concerned expression on his face. “I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head. “Your immune system is so delicate, so fragile—it’s really not good for you to overload yourself like that.”

  Mia shrugged, wondering what got him started on that topic. “My immune system is fine,” she said. “It’s as strong as that of any other human. You really don’t need to worry about me—I don’t get sick often or anything like that.”

  “As strong as any human is not all that strong,” he said, a slight furrow between his dark brows. He looked at her speculatively, and Mia had no idea what he was thinking. Whatever it was, he apparently came to some conclusion, because his forehead smoothed out. Changing the topic, he asked about her day, and the conversation again flowed casually and easily.

  As the dinner went on, Mia couldn’t help but stare at him, drinking in the sight of his face, the animated gestures he used when he spoke about something he found exciting, the way his tall, muscular body moved in his chair—even the smallest of motions endowed with that athletic, inhuman grace. Her flesh craved him sexually, but it now went beyond that. Every cell in her body yearned to be with him, and the thought of tomorrow filled her with a cold, sick horror. She couldn’t tell him, couldn’t warn him of what was to come, but she could try to remember every moment of this evening, to commit to her memory the curve of his mouth, the bold slashes of his eyebrows, the way his laugh sounded when she said something amusing.

  An agonizing realization tore through her then: she loved him. Despite everything she knew about him, despite everything he’d done to her, despite the fact that he was her enemy and she’d betrayed him—despite all that, she loved him with every fiber of her being.

  And tomorrow, she would lose him forever.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  A faint but steady sound of rain woke up Mia the next morning. Still half-asleep, she stretched, reluctant to face the day for some reason—and then her brain connected the dots and she sat up, gasping at the realization of what was to take place this morning.

  Jumping out of bed, she forced herself to walk to the restroom and brush her teeth, following her usual morning routine in case
Korum was still in the house. Once done, she pulled on a pair of jeans and a comfy long-sleeved shirt and carefully ventured out into the living room to check on the situation.

  The living room and the kitchen areas were empty, and Mia almost shuddered with relief. Korum must have followed his usual routine, leaving for the day to do whatever it was that he did. And after the wave of relief came disappointment. Rationally, she knew that she should be glad she would have a chance to get away, that fate was being kind by enabling her to avoid one last—potentially deadly—encounter with her alien lover, but that didn’t help the gaping wound in her heart that had opened at the recognition that she would never see him again.

  Last night had been incredible, the sex between them as close to lovemaking as Mia had ever experienced. He had treated her like a princess, worshipping her with his body, and Mia had cried again in the aftermath, unable to stem the flood at the knowledge of what tomorrow would bring. He had tried to soothe her, to find out what was causing her distress this time, but Mia had been incoherent. And finally, he had simply taken her again, his body driving into hers in a savage, relentless rhythm until she could not think about anything at all, her worries burning up in the heat of passion—until she screamed in ecstasy as he brought her to peak, over and over again. And then she had simply passed out, too exhausted to remember why she had been crying in the first place.

  But she couldn’t think about that now. Not if she wanted to get out alive.

  Grabbing her purse, Mia laced up her sneakers and prepared to leave Korum’s apartment. With one last look at the cream-colored furniture and leafy plants, she walked toward the door, each step feeling heavier than the rest.