Light of Kaska

by Michelle O'Leary

  Sweet Goddess. Her mouth still tingled. She could still taste him on her tongue, a flavor like dark chocolate, like wild, hot nights and freedom. She was still trying to remember how to breathe. Walking was a damned miracle. Paying attention to her surroundings was just flat impossible. She went where Stryker led and let her muzzy mind circle around one very important question—why? Why would he kiss her? Was it the Haze? One of its effects was euphoria, like a mild aphrodisiac, but some people had a stronger reaction than others.

  She mused on this for a while before she realized that she was no longer moving. She was standing in what looked like a sitting room, lots of low, sumptuous couches and cushions everywhere. Lots of low lighting and dark, silky colors and dreamy, suggestive music. And she and Stryker were alone.

  Her mouth went dry and her heart began to sprint, but before she could follow that thought to its tempting conclusion, a door slid open and a woman stepped into the room. Behind her, before the door slid closed again, Sukeza saw something that made her blink and wonder if she was imagining things. Then she caught sight of the woman’s outfit and forgot about the man—or men?—who dangled in awkward contortions over a large bed.

  The woman wore leather straps. And not properly concealing ones, either. Sukeza couldn’t seem to pull her gaze away from the dark red nipples with their fine, dangling chains, knowing her chin was resting on the floor but unable to do anything about it.

  “Darling,” the woman said, her voice low, throaty, and infinitely seductive. She strode toward Stryker, her body moving with cat-like grace, all muscled power and sleek control.

  “Hey, Bella. Sorry to interrupt.”

  The casual tone pulled Sukeza’s attention away from the woman’s exposed body parts and she looked at Stryker with a mix of alarm and fatalistic despair. This was the kind of woman he was usually with? This lush goddess with the tawny skin, killer body, mane of wild honey hair, and zero modesty? Oh yeah, his kiss had definitely been just the Haze.

  “Sweetie, you know I don’t mind,” she purred, planting a kiss on his mouth then glancing down his body. “Especially when you look so happy to see me,” she added in a feminine growl.

  One corner of his mouth curled in an expression that was almost a smile. Sukeza had never seen him smile. Her stomach curdled with hopeless jealousy and she wondered how the hell she was going to get out of this room before they started going at each other.

  Then Stryker turned his head and looked at her. As always, the force of him stunned her immobile, his steady, dark gaze pinning her like a bug, rooting her in place. “Bella, this is Sukeza bet Marish. Keza, this is Belladonna Lace.”

  The goddess turned her head as well and Sukeza felt her stomach flip under that proprietary gaze. Oh damn, another predator.

  “Mmm, what did you bring me?” the woman purred, gliding toward Sukeza, her light brown eyes taking in every detail. “Such a demure package, and she trembles so. But she’s matrilineal, Kaskan, unless I miss my guess. Always a challenge. Scrumptious.” The creature actually licked her lips.

  Sukeza saw her life flash before her eyes.

  Stryker made a rude noise in the back of his throat. “When’s the last time I brought you a play toy, Bella?” he asked in a dry tone.

  Sukeza took a deep, relieved breath when the woman’s sharp gaze turned away, a light frown forming between her tawny eyes. “Good point. You never bring me play toys. Why don’t you bring me play toys?”

  “You find plenty on your own.”

  “Also true,” she said with a shrug, turning back to Sukeza with a lazy smile. “Even better, though. She can make her own choices.”

  “Not interested,” Sukeza said quickly, taking a large step back from the woman’s looming figure and hugging her arms to her chest. “Though it’s very nice to meet you, Bella,” she added to be polite.

  Bella chuckled, resting hands on mostly bare hips and tilting her head, studying Sukeza. The pose was striking, more for the complete naturalness of it than her revealing outfit. She gave the impression that she would have stood the same way if she’d been fully clothed. Or totally naked. The woman exuded confidence, command, control. She scared the life out of Sukeza and she knew it. The slow curl of her lips made Sukeza want to bolt for the exit.

  Then Stryker moved. He said nothing, did nothing more than shift in place, but Bella’s dangerous aura dampened. She didn’t take her gaze from Sukeza, but her smile turned wry and her lashes masked the heat in her eyes. Instead of pouncing, she asked, “So how did you like the show downstairs?”

  Relief made Sukeza less than diplomatic. “You mean playtime in the predator pit? Fantastic,” she said with rather more sarcasm than was polite.

  Bella tipped back her head and laughed. “I like her, Chase,” she said with bright humor, turning toward Stryker. “But if you didn’t bring her here for me to play with—and I think I might be angry about that—why did you bring her? And why aren’t you keeping out of sight?” she added on a more serious note. “You’ve still got a bounty on your head.”

  “She needs to get home and I can’t take her,” he answered, his expression impassive and tone level.

  But something about what he said didn’t seem to sit right with Bella. She frowned, studying him as if he’d exposed something dangerous. “To Kaska?” she asked with a strange note of caution. When he nodded, she cast a quick glance at Sukeza before moving closer to Stryker. “She just needs transport, then? I can talk to the twins.”

  “I’d appreciate it,” he responded in the same neutral tone, his dark gaze steady on her.

  Bella shifted, looking over at Sukeza again with a crease between her brow and a peculiar unease in her eyes.

  Sukeza was starting to get a bad feeling. “Is there a problem?” she blurted, worrying at the hem of her sweater.

  Bella studied her for a moment before turning to Stryker. “Is there?”

  “No,” he answered, but Bella snorted as if he’d said something ridiculous.

  She turned from him, strolling back over to Sukeza. “Do you want to go, little Kaskan?”

  Sukeza gaped up at her for a moment, thrown by the peculiar question. “Of course I do,” she answered. “It’s my home.”

  The woman’s mouth crooked, her eyes scanning Sukeza’s face. “Hmm. Too bad,” she murmured. Then her expression lightened, turning sultry as she winked at Sukeza. “I do so love secret fire.” She sauntered away toward the bedroom, adding with cryptic humor, “And I’m not the only one.” She paused at the door, looking over her shoulder at Stryker. “I’ll let you know what the twins say. Where can I contact you?”

  “Browning’s,” he said in a clipped tone.

  She nodded and smiled at him with a touch of what looked like melancholy. Her tone turned simple and direct. “Good to see you again, Chase. Come see me before you leave.” She slipped through the door without waiting for a response.

  Getting through the club to the exit was just as un-fun as it had been coming in. About halfway through, Sukeza started to feel queasy. She felt downright urpy three quarters of the way through and was holding on by a thread by the time they left the place. Stryker took one look at her face and edged her out of the crowd, leaning her against the wall of Bella’s place and shielding her with his big body.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Not…feeling…good,” she answered in between deep breaths, keeping her eyes focused on his chest and concentrating on not puking all over him. “Need to…sit.” She followed words with action, sliding down the wall until her butt hit the ground. Curling forward over the hard knot in her stomach, she rested her forehead on her knees and continued breathing.

  He crouched in front of her. “Was it the smoke?”

  She didn’t answer, preferring to breathe and not vomit. Haze was probably part of it. She’d never been exposed to so much of the smoke. But she knew the other part had to do with Bella and Stryker, and her imminent departure. And that damned kiss.

  “Did you
eat when you woke up?”

  Okay, that might have something to do with it, too. She’d just been ten days in hiber-sleep and hadn’t even had a glass of water. She still couldn’t answer him, though. The urgent cramping in her stomach took all her concentration.

  “Relax, you’re making it worse,” he rumbled, his big hand settling on her neck and then running down her back in a slow, soothing arc. “Think about something else.”

  Miraculously, her nausea did improve under his gentle touch. His hand described slow circles on her back, and her clenched muscles began to ease. “Water,” she whispered.

  “I can’t leave you alone, Keza,” he said calmly. “It’s too dangerous.”

  Comforting. She closed her eyes and focused on his touch, focused on relaxing under his hand. After a few moments, she lifted her head. “Okay, I think I can get up now. I need to get fluids in my system.”

  He nodded, cupping a hand under her elbow and helping her to rise. “Go slow.”

  Luckily, they didn’t have to go far. They stopped at one of the vendors in the open area and bought drinks and rolls. Stryker was done with his food and drink about five steps beyond the vendor, but Sukeza took her time, sipping and nibbling carefully, waiting in between swallows to see if the stuff would come back up. It didn’t.

  Soon, she grew strong enough to feel embarrassed. “Sorry,” she mumbled, shooting him a sheepish glance. “Guess I’m a light weight.”

  “And a pain in the ass,” he agreed without rancor.

  She frowned. “Thanks a lot.”

  “Welcome.” He seemed almost—cheerful. It was incredibly annoying.

  She went back to nibbling on her roll and sipping her drink. When her roll was finished and her drink almost gone, she became sleepy. A wave of weariness washed over her, and she stumbled. “Oh, hell,” she muttered.

  He caught her elbow to steady her. “Now what?”

  “Backlash,” she sighed. “Body wants to rest now.”

  “Hotel’s just up here.”

  “We’re not going back to the ship?”

  “No place to sleep on the ship in normal grav, remember?”

  She grunted, suddenly beyond caring about their destination. As long as she got to lie down in the next few minutes, she didn’t care where they went. She stumbled again, and he repeated, “Pain in the ass.”

  “Shut up,” she grumbled.

  He made a sound suspiciously like a chuckle, but she was too tired to confirm it. Probably just imagined it. Her panther didn’t laugh. He didn’t even smile, except at beautiful blond dominatrices. Her stomach clenched again and she groaned. The next few minutes were a haze of rotating nausea and debilitating weariness. At one point, he picked her up in his arms, and she didn’t have the strength to be grateful. Or to enjoy the experience. A few moments later, he deposited her on a soft, horizontal surface and she curled up in a miserable ball, asleep before she took her next breath.

  When she woke, the room was dark. A faint light shone from the control panel by the door and another by the lavatory. At least, she assumed it was the lav. By that faint illumination, she could just make out the small dimensions of the room, square, sparse, and unimpressive. There was a shadow in one corner that could have been a small chair and another in the opposite corner that might have been a small table. The two beds took up most of the room.

  Sukeza sat up slowly, noticing the bed cover as it slid from her. She didn’t remember pulling it over herself. Had he…? A complicated warmth stole through her at the thought of Stryker tucking her in and she looked over at the other bed. A long, dark shadow lay on it. Stryker. Or at least, it had better be him. An irrational fear pulled her to the edge of the bed. Don’t be stupid. Of course it’s him, she admonished herself, but she still lowered her feet to the floor and stood.

  Moving as quietly as she could, she crept to the side of his bed and paused. Now what? Was she really going to wake him up and ask if it’s him? Did she really think that Stryker would leave her alone and some strange guy would take up residence, just park himself on the other bed for a snooze? Debating the foolishness of her actions, she stood still and stared down at the shadowy figure. Maybe what she really wanted to do was…

  “You gonna pet me?” he asked, his voice a low, intimate rumble.

  Sukeza nearly had a heart attack. She squeaked, leaping backwards and falling on her bed. Scrambling to a sitting position, she pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them, words tumbling from her mouth in a nervous stream. “Oh, Goddess, you scared me. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. I just woke up and didn’t know where I was. This is the hotel room, right? It’s so dark in here, and I thought you were…you scared me,” she finished lamely, feeling like an idiot.

  His reaction was almost as startling as his voice in the dark. He rolled from the bed in a smooth, powerful motion—and walked out the door. She stared at the exit with her mouth open for a long moment. Then she lurched to her feet and stumbled to it. When she looked out, the hall beyond was empty. He’d just…left.

  Sukeza stood in the doorway, feeling adrift and hurt. Where had he gone? Why had he left? She puzzled over these questions for a moment before a new one introduced itself, sparking a different range of emotions. Was he coming back?

  Chapter 6

  Stryker walked and tried not to think. It didn’t work. You scared me. He’d been lying there having hot, erotic fantasies about the woman until he was damned near out of his mind. When she came to his bed in the dark, he’d thought one of them was coming true, until she’d acted like a terrified rabbit again. Which left him with two choices—pounce or leave. No choice, really. He hadn’t lied when he’d said he wasn’t a rapist.

  So here he was, prowling the byways of Bristol because he couldn’t keep his hands off a woman he had no business even looking at twice. A first in his experience. For him, sex had always been as casual as eating. Enjoyable, sometimes necessary but not all consuming. He’d never obsessed about it and never even considered it with a woman like Sukeza. She shouldn’t turn him on.

  She was driving him insane.

  Was it the novelty? The marvel of having an innocent, a simple country girl who’d never broken a single law, in his possession? Except Keza wasn’t so simple. Maybe it was Bella’s secret fire. Damn the woman for reading him so clearly. She knew him too well. She’d seen immediately that the situation was more serious than he let on. Do you want to go, little Kaskan?

  Stryker’s muscles clenched and he breathed slowly through gritted teeth. Damn her. His feet moved without conscious thought, but when he found himself approaching Bella’s he didn’t hesitate. Plunging into the dark, smoky interior, he plowed through the crowd to the stairs. This time, the bodyguard gave him no trouble. Stepping aside, the big man gave him a respectful nod as he passed.

  Bella was either done playing or in between clients. She was sitting on a low couch, nibbling finger food and scrolling through a digital readout when he entered. A silky robe covered her, but he knew that was more for comfort than any sense of modesty. Bella was as body conscious as a wildcat. She knew what she had and used it, but it didn’t bother her to expose any part of it. He’d seen her walk mostly naked through the middle of Bristol. Of course, on this little outpost, a successful businesswoman like her was damn near a queen, so no one complained when she did what she wanted.

  She smiled to see him and closed down her digital display. “Sweetie, I wasn’t expecting you back so soon. You know the twins always dance before they sing.”

  “Avoiding you?”

  “They have their little games. They’ll quit soon enough before I get irritated and squash them. Come, sit.” She patted the couch next to her.

  He did and she handed him her drink. He downed it in two swallows and handed it back. She was amused but in a polite mood—she didn’t call him on it.

  “So what brings you? I didn’t think you were this anxious to get rid of your little Kaskan.” He gave her a flat stare and her smile
grew sly. “I could train her and keep her here for you.”

  “Don’t start. The sooner I get her off my hands, the better. Can you corner the twins?”

  “Of course, but it makes them so much less cooperative. You know how they are.” She paused, studying him with shrewd, dark-honey eyes. “You could always keep her with you.”

  “Why the hell would I do that?” he snarled, lunging to his feet and pacing around the room with restless violence.

  “You want her. She has you in a froth, which is frankly something I thought I’d never see. You are the coolest creature I’ve ever met, so this is something of a wonder.”