Branded by Fire p-6

by Nalini Singh

  She didn’t release him, didn’t submit to the command in that tone. Instead, she ran her nails deliberately down the backs of his thighs. He swore a blue streak, but managed to hold on. She refused to let him—no way was Riley getting out of this without surrendering to her, at least this little bit. It mattered. Wasn’t just sex. They were changeling—if he trusted her physically, he’d eventually trust her with his thoughts and secrets, too.

  But first, she wanted his beautiful body to come apart for her. Taking her mouth off him, she looked up, met his gaze . . . and licked her lips. He shuddered. And this time, had no hope in hell of holding back.

  It was well after midnight when they fell into bed. She was almost asleep when Riley said, “I dream only good dreams when I sleep with you.”

  Breath catching in her throat, she pressed her lips to his heart to tell him she was there, that she was listening. He didn’t say anything for several minutes, but when he spoke, the undisguised emotion in him tore her to pieces.

  “Brenna was so small when our parents died. She couldn’t even walk properly, just do that grab-anything-and-hope-I-don’t-fall wobble.”

  Mercy smiled at the image. “A baby.”

  “Yeah.” His voice dropped, grew husky. “And she was my baby. You wouldn’t believe how possessive I was over her and Drew.”

  She rubbed her nose against his chest. “That’s the one thing I have no difficulty believing.”

  “Cat.” A squeeze. “We were adopted into another family, but the whole pack looked after us. We were almost spoiled with all the attention we got. But even then, I always knew Drew and Bren were mine to take care of.”

  Conscious of what was coming, she stroked her hands over his chest, pressing another kiss to his heart. Skin privileges of the most tender kind. Her cat wanted desperately to protect this wolf, but knew this poison had to come out, had to be purged.

  “But,” he said at last, “when it mattered, I wasn’t there. The things that bastard did to her—” A sound that held indescribable pain mixed with absolute rage. “It destroys me that the girl I cradled as a baby had to suffer that. She must’ve cried for me, but I wasn’t there. I wasn’t there.”

  “You were,” Mercy said fiercely.

  “The rescue was—”

  “I’m not talking about that.” She pulled herself up on the bed until they lay face to face, side by side. “Sascha said that Brenna’s will was a steel flame, so strong, so beautiful.”

  Violent pride in Riley’s eyes. “I know.”

  “But, Riley”—she cupped his face in her hands—“where do you think she learned that strength, that will? Who do you think taught her that she was that tough, that she could beat anything?”

  Flickers of understanding in his gaze, but he shook his head. “I always protected her.”

  “But you didn’t cage her,” Mercy said, knowing he’d only tried to do that after the rescue. “You brought her up to be a proud, strong wolf. You gave her that foundation, Riley.”

  A long pause and the wolf glimmered in his eyes. “I need to think about this.”

  She smiled. “You do that, wolf.” Part of him would always worry after Brenna. That was normal. But perhaps, in time, he’d stop being haunted by a monster’s crime. “And remember, Brenna made it.” A brush of fingertips against his lips. “She’d probably like her big brother back.”

  He dropped his forehead against hers in unspoken affection. Stroking her hand through his hair, she decided that was enough for one night. But she didn’t want him to fall asleep with such solemn thoughts on his mind—she wanted to give him a smile, guarantee his dreams would be pleasant. “Still want to know about the Bikini Babe contest?”

  Chocolate brown eyes that were suddenly alert. “Hell, yes.”

  She came so close their breaths mingled as they spoke. “Needless to say, you repeat this, I’ll sharpen my claws on your ribs.”

  A slow blink. “It won’t leave the room.”

  “Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath. “When I was fifteen and very stupid, I had a crush on this other cat.”

  “Who?”

  “Not important. And I mean that,” she added to make sure he’d drop it. “I was already stronger and faster than most boys my age. I thought this boy could handle that—he certainly seemed confident. Turned out he was a snotty-nosed twerp.”

  “You going to tell me what he did?”

  “If you stop growling.”

  A startled pause. “Sorry.”

  “It wasn’t that big a deal,” she said with the maturity of age, though it had devastated her at the time. “I gave him a Valentine’s Day card—he opened it in front of his friends, and made sure my friends and I were nearby, too. He laughed after he read it out, said he’d never go out with another boy.” The insult had spread through the school like wildfire, savaging Mercy’s fledgling feminine confidence.

  “I’ll kill him.”

  She nipped at the wolf growling in her bed. “No need. I took care of it.”

  A gleam of interest.

  “At first I was humiliated.” She’d cried on her mom’s shoulder until Bas and Dorian had both been ready to do murder. “Then I got mad. I decided to show him exactly what he’d missed out on.”

  Amusement had his mouth curving. “I’m liking this story.”

  “Knew you would.” It released the tension in her soul to see laughter in him again. “You can guess this part—there was a Bikini Babe contest that summer to publicize this new line of swimwear for teens. You had to be sixteen to enter and then only if you had parental permission—I was a few weeks too young, but Dorian hacked into the computers to get me entry.”

  She couldn’t help the truly gleeful smile that spread across her face. “After I won, I printed up this poster of me wearing the winner’s sash—and a truly tiny bikini—and pasted it on the twerp’s locker, with the words ‘Dickless wonders need not apply’ at the bottom.”

  Riley burst out laughing. “You’re fucking amazing.”

  “Thank you. I was also grounded for months, along with Dorian. And I got detention for the poster prank, too.” She grinned. “I didn’t care. I was the hottest property on campus. You’ve never seen a more miserable face than the twerp’s—he looked like he was about to cry every time he saw me at the beach that summer. And I made sure to be at the beach a lot.”

  Riley’s smile hadn’t faded. “Why don’t you like people knowing about this? He messed with your cat, you took care of business. Where’s the shame in that?”

  “I was an idiot, Riley—I let that moron influence how I saw myself. I lost interest in tormenting him pretty fast once I saw how weak he was. Then I was mad at myself.” A pause, and without warning, the wickedness in her took over. “You know, I can still fit into the winning bikini . . . though it’s gone from tiny to microscopic.”

  “You’re tormenting me now.”

  Chuckling, she kissed him. “Sweet dreams, wolf.”

  CHAPTER 38

  The Information Merchant walked to his meeting in a deserted boathouse off a private marina with steady steps. Perhaps other men might have had concerns about coming to such an isolated area to meet individuals who’d already proved willing and able to kill, but he was a high-level telepath. He could and had crushed human minds with a single focused thought.

  And, he was an information seller. That was his trade, and people paid him well for it. Clients seldom wanted to kill the golden goose. If they did, they’d discover their mistake. Reminded, he pressed a preprogrammed code on his organizer, utilizing the wireless link to his home computers, then slid it into his pocket.

  Taking a last look around the dark, fog-shrouded street, he opened the small side door and walked in.

  The bullet hit him hard, shoving him against the wall.

  Staring down in disbelief at the . . . dart lodged in his chest, he attempted to gather his psychic resources for a deadly blast.

  Only to find his mind mired in ice.

&nbs
p; “Consider the experiment successful, gentlemen.” A voice from the shadows. “We’re all still alive.”

  The Information Merchant gripped the dart and tugged it out. “Why?” The agony of the loss speared down his spinal column, spread through his nervous system.

  “You know the answer—information. Unfortunately, you know too much.”

  Steps coming in his direction.

  Then a burst of pain inside his heart and everything stopped.

  CHAPTER 39

  Just after nine the next morning found a sleep-deprived but otherwise happy Mercy sitting across from Hamilton, the SilverBlade sentinel she’d had some fun with many, many moons ago. Staring at him, she suddenly realized he was a very good-looking man. Okay, she’d known that already, but only as an adjunct to his strength and speed. But today, she really saw his face—the chiseled planes, the luscious sun-kissed skin that had come by way of a Mediterranean ancestor, the vivid topaz eyes and jet-black hair.

  “Why are you looking at me like I’m a bug?” he asked, passing her the files he could’ve as easily e-mailed.

  It was a big, giant hint. But he hadn’t acted on it, which made Mercy suspicious. “I just realized how beautiful you are.”

  He went red. Bright red. “God damn it, Mercy!”

  “Sorry.” She grinned.

  “No, you’re not.” Rolling his eyes, he leaned back in his chair. “I don’t suppose your pack has anyone else like you?”

  “No, I’m one of a kind.” She stared at him. “Are you trolling for women?”

  “Would you shut up?” But he was laughing. “No, but I’m keeping my eyes open—I’m getting antsy to settle down.”

  “That’s an oxymoron.” Flippant words but her mind was connecting the dots. “You came back to see if I was your mate?”

  He shrugged. “We had good chemistry and we’re friends. I figured it couldn’t hurt to come have another sniff—you know what I mean so stop gagging—and make sure. I can see I’m too late.”

  Mercy got a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. “And you know this, how?”

  “The scent layer’s new, but it’s unquestionably there. You’re marked, babe.” He grinned. “Does the poor man know what’s in store for him?”

  Mercy’s intestines tied themselves into a giant knot. It wasn’t surprising that Hamilton had picked up the scent layer faster than those in her pack. They knew how much time she and Riley had to spend together, probably figured it was a surface layer of contact. But she’d showered this morning after Riley left, then slicked pretty-smelling body cream over herself. And if Hamilton could still sense Riley . . .

  No need to panic, she told herself. Lovers often wore layers of scent that made it clear who belonged to who—females and males both. “What’s the scent layer like?”

  Hamilton gave her a keen glance, then whistled. “You didn’t know.”

  “Answer the question.”

  “I picked it up the instant I walked in the door—I’m getting a very definite ‘hands-off’ vibe.”

  Mercy swore under her breath. Then again. “It’s the start of the mating dance.”

  “Which is why I’m sitting wayyy over on this side of the desk and making no physical contact,” Hamilton said, raising his hands in the air. “I have no desire whatsoever to be hunted by some rabid male who’s decided I touched his woman.”

  “I’m no one’s woman.”

  “Not yet anyway. Am I the first to sense it?”

  She nodded, trying to find her footing when the world had just shifted sideways.

  “Since no one in your pack’s exactly a slouch,” he commented, “it means the change is recent. I probably picked it up because I haven’t seen you for so long.”

  “And you’re single,” she said between gritted teeth, realizing the dance had to have kicked in the night before. By accepting his word that he’d try to never again hurt her as he’d done yesterday, she’d trusted Riley on a level she’d never before trusted a lover. More than that . . . he’d trusted her. “Every male I’ve seen this morning has been mated. The scent wouldn’t register as strongly to them.”

  “So, who’s the lucky guy?”

  “I’m going to kill him,” she muttered. “He knew and didn’t tell me.” Changeling males always knew when the dance began.

  “Ah, Mercy . . . I wouldn’t tell you, either.”

  She felt her eyes go leopard. “Men!”

  “Please,” he drawled out. “Look how you’re reacting. Dominant females don’t like the idea of being tied down. So if it was me, and you somehow didn’t notice the scent, I’d make sure we were well and truly entangled before I said anything. Less chance of you deciding not to accept the mating.” Getting up, he gave her a mock salute. “Are you sure you don’t know any more like you?”

  She thought about it. “Indigo.”

  “The wolf lieutenant?” He whistled. “She’s all kinds of fiiine. Would she date a cat?”

  “Ask her.”

  “Damn if I won’t.” He held out his hand for Indigo’s number.

  Mercy gave it to him in thanks for the fact that he’d spilled the beans about the mating dance. She also threw in a bonus warning. “Don’t try any dominant shit on her—she’ll eat you for breakfast then suck the marrow from your bones for dessert.”

  It was a measure of Hamilton’s confidence that he grinned as if he’d just been told he’d won a million bucks. Hah, she thought as he walked out. He was all fun and games now, but if it got serious, he’d probably turn as crazy as Riley and try to keep Indigo from harm. Now that, Mercy thought, would be a fireworks show she’d pay to witness.

  Of course, Riley had seen the error of his ways. More, he’d offered her a glimpse of his heart, something she’d never expected. It had undone her.

  Ten minutes later, he surprised her again. “We need to go look at a corpse.”

  Mercy blinked. “Wow, so romantic.”

  “Intel came to me since I’m in charge of city security this morning. But I thought you’d want in on it. I’m on my way to pick you up.”

  “I’ll grab a kit with gloves and things.”

  It didn’t take them long to get to the body—found by a couple of the Rats in one of the less accessible corners of the bay, the information had traveled to cat and wolf ears rather than Enforcement, which meant they had free rein at least for a short time frame.

  The body was wedged between several rocks, having apparently been washed up at high tide. Parking the car in the shadow of a large tree, the two of them headed down the tiny dirt access road to check it out. Though the sea had done a credible job of smothering the man’s natural scent, they both caught the faint metallic tang.

  “Psy,” Mercy said, crouching beside the body. “Those squads that Sascha and Judd told us about must be combing the city, searching for him.” All Psy who disappeared from the PsyNet without explanation were tracked to verify the reason for their sudden disengagement.

  Riley nodded. “The instant word of his body gets to Enforcement, we lose all hope of figuring out how he ended up here.”

  “I’ve got enough training to process this,” she said. “We bring in our techs and we give away the game.” There was nothing much out here—two people might skate under the radar, but a team would be highly visible.

  “That’s what I thought.”

  “Anyway, it could be simple drowning or suicide.” Putting on thin protective gloves, she checked the corpse for evidence of how the male might’ve died, while Riley took photographs with a small but high-resolution camera. “Fish have nibbled a bit and he’s been banged around, but I’m not seeing anything that screams murder. Of course, I’m no expert.”

  He tapped a finger on his knee. “Can you take samples without it being obvious you took them?”

  “No problem—I’ll go through one of the bite sites.” She was drawing blood as she spoke. “Haven’t done anything like this for a while.”

  “Remind you of med school?”
>
  A pointed glance. “That background check sure was thorough.”

  “Of course.” He kept an eye out around them as he spoke, making certain to look skyward, too. “Falcons are coming today. They want us to grant them permission to fly over pack land.”

  She took a number of swabs, making quick notes on where they’d been taken from. “Been in the works for a while.” The WindHaven clan occupied territory—a large slice of Arizona—that bordered SnowDancer land. Their request wasn’t unprecedented. The bird changelings, especially the species that were meant to fly far and wide, often negotiated such treaties—the right to flight along strictly drawn paths.

  If WindHaven wanted even limited landing privileges, they’d have to agree on some kind of an alliance, but first SnowDancer—and DarkRiver, as the wolves’ main ally—had to find them worthy of an alliance. A weak partner could cause incredible damage. However—“They seem pretty solid.”

  “Guess we’ll find out when we meet.” He looked at her as she removed her gloves and put them in the biohazard bag before closing the lid on the whole kit. “Done?”

  “Yeah. At least we got this much.” She made a face. “Probably won’t be enough for any real answers.”

  “Maybe we’ll get lucky with the blood work.” He held out his hand for the kit. When she raised an eyebrow, he didn’t so much as blink. “I’m stronger. Suck it up.”

  Her mouth fell open as he turned something she’d said to him more than once, right back on her. Taking the chance to grab the kit, he loped over the rocks and up to the car ahead of her.

  Since his back was turned to the cat prowling up behind him, he missed the smile tugging at the curve of her lips.

  Mercy checked her phone when they got back to the car. “Falcons postponed,” she told Riley. “Meet’s set for day after tomorrow instead.”

  “Must’ve been something big,” Riley murmured. “They’ve been working for months to reach this point.”

  Agreeing, Mercy cleared the message. “I’m thinking we get a Rat to call in an anonymous tip on the body. No use leaving him out there to rot. Who knows what’s in his system.”