by Anna Hackett
Suddenly, red emergency lighting flooded the car.
Shit. This was all she needed. Still, she was sure the security room would see something had malfunctioned.
Then she heard a hissing sound.
Turning, she saw a strange-looking, purple gas flowing up through the cracks in the floor of the elevator.
Ah, that can’t be good.
Rillian felt an unsettled sensation coming from his symbiont.
He frowned at the unfamiliar feeling. He scanned the crowd, searching for a certain brunette. Where was she? His shoulders tightened.
He looked at Galen. “Have you seen Dayna?”
“Not for a while.” As the imperator frowned, it tugged at the scar on his face. “Is something wrong?”
Rillian scanned the room again. “I’m not sure.”
Spotting several of the Earth women nearby, he headed toward them. “Has anyone seen Dayna?”
Winter inclined her head. “I saw her before. She got a message from the head of your security team, and she went to take care of something.”
Rillian stiffened. He hadn’t received any message. He turned away, lifting his communicator. “Tannon, is Dayna with you?”
“No.”
“Did you contact her?”
“No.”
Rillian’s uneasiness turned to full-blown fear. “Find her.”
The noise of the security room came across the line. “I’m searching for her now.”
Rillian was already striding across the party room, headed for the door. He wasn’t surprised when Galen and Magnus flanked him.
“Trouble?” Magnus drawled, voice cool.
“Maybe.” Rillian’s symbiont was writhing now, sending panic through his veins. He never panicked.
“Rillian,” Tannon said. “An elevator on the northern bank is stuck. It’s showing a malfunction.”
Adjusting his stride, Rillian aimed for the elevators. “Which one?”
“B13.”
Rillian stopped in front of the sleek doors to elevator B13. He reached out and pressed the controls, but nothing happened.
“Sir?” The urgent tone of Tannon’s voice made Rillian’s blood run cold. “Scanners are showing Zavir in the elevator car!”
Rillian’s gut cramped, and he heard Galen curse under his breath. Zavir was a deadly, poisonous gas.
Gripping the groove between the closed doors, he shoved to pry them open. But they only budged a fraction.
He had to get to Dayna. Pulling on his symbiont for more strength, Rillian shoved the doors open with a groan of metal. He looked down into the shaft. The car was too far below for him to even see it.
He shifted, moving one foot over the drop.
“Rillian—” Galen stepped closer.
Rillian didn’t hesitate. He stepped out into the elevator shaft. His body dropped downward like a projectile.
Air rushed at him and then he saw the car appear below. He bent his legs, preparing to land.
Thump. He landed hard with a bend of his knees, his symbiont absorbing most of the impact. The metal dented beneath his feet.
Thump. Galen landed beside him in a crouch. Thump. Magnus landed across from them, denting the roof of the car even more.
Rillian’s senses picked up a sickly-sweet trace of the Zavir gas.
There was no sound.
Agony ripped through him. The gas was messing with his abilities, but he couldn’t sense Dayna’s energy, couldn’t hear a sound from inside.
Imagining her lifeless body tore him up. He’d been fighting his growing feelings for her the moment he first saw her open her eyes.
Then he heard something. A muffled thumping coming from inside the car.
Like someone was hammering on the ceiling beneath his feet.
Fear and desperation fueling him, Rillian dropped to his knees. He tore at the metal panels. He wrenched one off and tossed it into the shaft. He pulled strength from his symbiont, tearing more panels off. Galen and Magnus helped.
He couldn’t lose her. He wouldn’t lose her.
Then he saw the sheet of thick, reinforced metal that lay beneath the surface panels. Drak. This was taking too long.
“Watch out.” Magnus’ cool voice. The cyborg raised his synthetic arm, curling his fingers into a fist. As soon as Rillian and Galen leaned back, Magnus slammed down, punching through the metal.
Rillian instantly grabbed the ruined panels, ripping them open more.
Instantly, he saw Dayna’s sweat-slicked face. She had her legs pressed to the walls, holding herself above the dense cloud of thickening gas.
She was alive.
He grabbed her hand and yanked her up through the hole.
Drak. Drak. Drak. His heart was pounding hard. He pulled her to his chest.
“God, I thought I was dead.” Her hands twisted in his shirt.
Rillian tightened his arms around her. Below, he could see the gas billowing in the elevator car.
“It needs to be contained before it escapes,” Galen said.
Rillian nodded and pulled out his communicator. “Tannon, I’ve got Dayna. But we have an elevator car filled with Zavir.”
“I’m on my way with a containment team.”
Rillian looked up and saw they were close to the doors to one of the floors. He rattled off the number.
Magnus leaped across the gap, gripping the edge of the closed doors. It took the cyborg seconds to pry it open. Galen leaped across after him to help him hold the doors open.
While the imperators held the doors, Rillian lifted Dayna into his arms.
“I can make it—”
“Shh.” He leaped across the gap.
They were on one of the hotel levels. The elegant corridor was empty.
Rillian dropped to his knees and buried his face in Dayna’s hair. His insides were a chaotic mess. He tried to calm the fear and fury…and the burning need for revenge.
“Rillian—”
“Just be quiet and let me hold you.”
She stilled, her arms tightening on him.
A moment later, another elevator dinged. The two imperators shifted, pulling their swords, and stepping in front of Rillian and Dayna.
Rillian saw Tannon step off the elevator, along with his containment team. They all wore fitted, high-tech enviro suits and helmets. Rillian jerked his head toward the shaft and his head of security nodded.
As his man directed the containment, Rillian let himself absorb the feel of Dayna—the sound of her breaths, the solid thump of her heart. She was alive.
But Rillian was shaken to the core.
He’d amassed a fortune and built an empire. He’d vowed to never make himself vulnerable again. To never have anything in his life that could release the killer within him.
Yet here he was, with his greatest vulnerability in his arms.
Tannon reappeared, tearing the helmet off his enviro suit. “The containment is almost complete.” A muscle ticked in the man’s jaw. “I will personally oversee how we can avoid anyone accessing the elevators again.”
Rillian nodded. Tannon was loyal as desert rock. The man would work day and night to make that happen.
“This was in the elevator.” Tannon handed over a heavy piece of paper covered in writing. Rillian’s mouth flattened. It was just like the others.
Your lover is dead. More will die. Forsake the House of Galen.
Rillian’s rage flared white-hot like a supernova. He let out a growl and Galen took the note from his fingers.
“Rillian, calm down.” Dayna rose on her knees, cupping his face.
“No.” He rose, pulling her with him.
“Rillian—”
He clamped his hand on hers. He let his gaze drift over her face before looking at Galen and Magnus.
“I will burn Zaabha to the ground, and then I will grind the House of Thrax, and every Thraxian, to dust.”
Chapter Twelve
Dayna was trying to fight off the shock, but her close call had
violent shivers wracking her body. She gritted her teeth and tried to relax in Rillian’s arms.
He stepped off the elevator—that he’d had Tannon check twice before they’d used it—and onto the penthouse level. Tannon led a team of security guards behind them.
Rillian strode down the hall and past the door to her bedroom. A moment later, he carried her through the large double doors at the end of the corridor and into his room.
“No one gets in without my permission.” He slammed the doors closed.
Dayna got the impression of black paint and warm woods, with a dash of blue. He set her down on the large bed covered in a glossy black cover. It felt divine under her fingers.
“My personal physician will be here shortly.”
“Rillian, I’m fine—”
When he skewered her with a look, she closed her mouth. He started pacing across the large room. The lights of the city glittered through the large windows.
Dayna settled back on the bed, distractedly brushing the sleek, soft cover. A moment later, there was a soft knock at the door. Rillian opened it, and a tall, thin man with long, white hair entered, carrying a small black bag.
“She was exposed to Zavir. Check her.”
At Rillian’s curt order, she rolled her eyes.
“Hello there, young one.” The physician sat beside her on the bed. “I’m Healer O’Garrie. Rillian’s paying me a lot of money to check you over.”
“I’m afraid he’s wasting his money, I’m feeling fine.”
“Zavir poison is not something to be trifled with.” A wide smile in a friendly face. “Let’s take a look.”
The man pulled out a small scanner and ran it over her. He hummed, and after a few beeps from the device, he set it back in his bag. He looked at Rillian. “She’s in perfect health.”
Rillian gave a tight nod. “Thank you, O’Garrie.”
“Get some rest.” The healer patted her shoulder.
Dayna murmured her thanks, and watched the doctor leave. The door clicked closed behind him.
She lifted her chin. “Satisfied?”
“No.” Rillian strode to the edge of the bed. “I want to check you myself.”
Her chest hitched. “Rillian, you heard what the doctor said—”
“Strip.”
A blunt command. She sucked in a breath and stared up into his face. She saw that this was a man standing on the very edge.
She swallowed and slowly rose. Only inches separated them, and she felt the heat pouring off his body. She touched the fastenings of her gold skirt and they parted. The fabric slithered down her legs. She sat back on the bed in tiny black panties and the fitted black bodice of her gown.
Rillian pressed one knee to the bed, leaning over her. She got a hit of his spicy cologne. God, the man smelled so good.
His fingers brushed over the few inches of belly bared between her panties and top. A featherlight touch, but sensation whispered over her skin.
“When I realized you were missing…” He moved his hands, sliding them down her legs and then up again. “When Tannon told me there was Zavir in the elevator, I thought I’d lost you.” Rillian looked at her like he was mesmerized and memorizing every inch of her. His fingers skated back up her legs, his touch turning harder as he kneaded her muscles.
She shifted on the bed, biting down on her lip. Soon her belly was filled with flickering flames.
“I thought you were gone from my life and I couldn’t bear it.”
Dayna stared at the beautiful lines of his handsome face. He was so gorgeous, especially with the threads of silver sparking in his black eyes. “I’m alive. I’m right here.”
His fingers moved up, nudging her legs apart. He brushed her inner thighs, then teased the line of her panties. She sucked in a sharp breath, her breasts rising and falling.
His gaze moved up and lingered where the top of her breasts spilled over the top of her bodice.
“You are so beautiful, Dayna.”
No one had ever called her beautiful. Athletic and attractive, but not beautiful. She needed him. She needed this man more than she needed to breathe.
She pushed up to sit, and then slid onto his lap. She tore his shirt open and leaned in, pressing against the warm, bronze skin of his chest.
Dayna felt the warm throb of her symbiont, and she knew it was enhancing the desire that was already burning hot inside her.
Rillian’s hands slid down, cupping her ass, and moving her closer. Then his mouth was on hers.
She moaned, bucking against him, her tongue tangling with his. He tasted of smooth alcohol and hard man. He pushed her down on the bed and leaned over her, caging her in with his powerful body.
She stared up into his hungry face as he nudged her legs apart.
“I’m going to rip these tiny panties off you and eat you until you scream.”
The dirty words said in such a charming voice made her shiver. Oh. God.
“Let’s see how sweet you are—” he nipped at her inner thigh “—under all that sexy competence and practicality.”
She gasped, writhing under his touch. He leaned down, pulling one of her legs over his shoulder. Then with his other hand, he tore her panties off.
“Rillian.”
She felt his warm breath against her folds, then one long finger slid inside her.
“Drak you’re tight,” he growled. “And wet.”
She lifted her hips up, not sure if she would survive this. Then he lowered his dark head and his mouth was on her.
Sensations exploded, and Dayna arched up, moaning.
His tongue licked and flicked. Her hands flexed on the covers. He sucked at her, his tongue delving inside. Then he found her clit.
“Oh…don’t stop,” she panted.
He made a sexy growl against her, sucking her clit into his mouth.
He was relentless, not giving her a chance to catch her breath or to compose herself. He pushed and pushed, another finger sliding inside her. His mouth and fingers kept driving her higher and higher.
Without warning, her orgasm crashed over her. Dayna screamed, bucking against Rillian’s mouth.
Her body shaking, she flopped back on the bed.
“I need to be inside you.” Rillian pushed off the bed in a single, violent move. His suit jacket fell to the floor, and then he tore open his trousers. Finally, he stood beside the bed, naked. Gloriously naked.
Holy hell. “You know, it’s so unfair to every other male specimen in the galaxy. Not only are you rich, handsome, and have a gorgeous body, you’ve also got the most perfect cock I’ve ever seen.” Her gaze dropped, skating over his hard, long length.
He smiled.
Dayna felt a trickle of something deep within her, and the uniqueness gave her pause. She’d dated, and on Earth, she’d had a perfectly good sex life…but nothing or no one had ever made her feel like this. She was filled with a hungry, edgy tension, and he hadn’t even been inside her yet.
Rillian gripped her ankles and yanked her toward him. She slid across the covers to the very edge of the bed. With a flick of his wrist, her bodice loosened and was gone. Then he was leaning forward, his lean hips between her legs. The intensity on his face made her belly tighten. Then he reached down, gripping her hips, and moving her exactly where he wanted her. With one hand, he circled his cock, rubbing the head of it between her folds. She moaned.
“So wet and needy.” His voice was low and husky.
“Yes, I am. Inside me. Now.” She moved against him, watching a smile curve his lips.
“I like it when you beg.”
“Inside me now, Rillian, or I’ll hurt you—”
He drove into her with one solid thrust.
“Oh!” She reached her arms out, her hands digging into the bedcovers. She was so full, she needed an anchor, something to keep her from flying apart.
Rillian started thrusting. “I want you. All of you. You’ll give yourself to me.”
Desire was rising inside her, insist
ent and raw. His eyes were pure silver, and so hungry. She’d never been needed like this before.
“I’ve got you,” he growled. “I’m going to take it all from you.”
She saw the hunger etched on his face, but at the same time, she could feel the control he was leashing it with. His body was still tense, even as he thrust inside her.
She was right on the edge, her body trembling with the need to come again. Any second, she would go over into oblivion, but this time, she wanted him with her.
Rearing up, Dayna raked her nails over his shoulders. “I’ve got you, too.”
With a groan, he lowered his head and kissed her. Hard, rough, and punishing. He groaned again, his body shuddering, and she felt that iron control of his slip.
“Let go,” she urged.
“No.”
“Yes!” She arched against him, lifting her hips to meet each one of his heavy thrusts. Their cries mingled. She was so close to coming again, but Dayna was determined to make him hers, to take him with her.
Hunger clawed at Rillian.
Drak. What the hell is this? He hammered into Dayna’s tight body, feeling flames lick up his spine.
He pushed her back, and she arched upward, her breasts pushed forward. He ran his hand down her toned belly. Then he looked at where his cock plunged into her.
Mine. He was claiming this woman of Earth. His.
Her slick body clamped down on his cock. He felt another orgasm coming.
“Yes, again,” he rasped. “Come again.”
Her head thrashed on the covers. “I can’t—”
“You can.”
Her gaze met his. It was glowing gold. “Come with me.”
He buried himself to the hilt inside her. She writhed, thrusting up. No sweet, submissive lover, his Dayna.
Sliding into her with long, solid strokes, more husky cries were ripped from her throat. He gritted his teeth, fighting off his orgasm.
He slid a hand down her sweat-slicked body, and found the fascinating nub of her clitoris.
Two more strokes and she screamed, her body clenching down on his cock.
“Drak!” With two more thrusts, he lost all semblance of control. His vision flashed red, and his fingers clenched on her skin. Her scream echoed around him as he poured himself inside her with a shout.
