3013: Renegade (7 page)

***

CHAPTER NINE

Nikolai knew the moment his
minx made up her mind. Her eyes narrowed and the tip of her tongue flicked over her lower lip. She stood where she was, but her gaze drifted down to his crotch and then slowly back up again, until she was looking him in the eyes.

“Don’t move,” she told him and he froze in place, one hand still outstretched in front of him.

Alayna prowled up to him slowly, ignoring his hand to tuck the knife back into his pocket. This time he was aware of every moment of contact. The warmth of her hand, the way her fingers brushed through the fabric to caress his thigh before withdrawing. A hint of vanilla and spice teased at his nose, and Nikolai realized it was the scent of one of the shampoos they’d stocked her bathroom with. He liked it. No, he loved the fact she was wearing their clothes and smelled of the soap they had picked out for her. His fingers itched to sweep the dark, silken fall of her hair back from her face so he could see their mark on her again, but he resisted. She was testing him right now, and he would be damned if he was going to fuck this up. For once, he was going to resist the need to be in control and let her take the lead.

Just this
one time.

“Do you want to kiss me?” she asked.

Nikolai’s cock jerked in his pants. He wanted to do a lot more than just kiss her. “Yes.”

“But you won’t unless I say you can, right?”

“You’re not a sex toy, Alayna. You have the right to tell me no. But be careful. Like I warned you last night, you’re playing with fire.”

She stood up on tiptoe, her face upturned so that her hot little mouth was close enough he could kiss her if he dropped his head…but he didn’t. He had to show her she could trust him.

Even if his dick never forgave him for it.

“I’m not afraid of you,
Nik.” Her hands landed on his chest and she held herself there, close enough he could feel her body heat.

“I think you are afraid of me. But you shouldn’t be. If there’s only one thing you believe, Alayna, believe this. I will
never hurt you. Neither of us would. You’re precious to us.”

She narrowed her eyes in challenge and slid her hands up until they were clasped around the back of his neck. “I’m
not
afraid.”

“If you’re not afraid, then prove it. Kiss me,” he challenged her back, pushing her as far as he dared.

“You don’t scare me,” she snarled and then tugged his head down. The moment their lips met, his world lit up like a match dropped in rocket fuel. She was all fire and fury, her fingers gripping his hair as her teeth closed on his lower lip.

Fuck, she was so sexy when she let herself get wild.

Alayna knew he’d been baiting her, but it didn’t matter. She’d never backed down from a challenge. He was wrong, too. She wasn’t afraid of him. Not anymore. How could she be when he’d restrained himself for her, letting her take control. She knew his type. Knew he wasn’t the kind of man who took orders from anyone. But he had. For her. They still had a long way to go before she even considered forgiving them for what they’d done to her, but it was a start.

Nik’s
big hands stroked down her back, pulling her in tight to his hard body so that she could feel the hot spike of his erection pressing against her stomach. He ground their bodies together as his mouth laid claimed to hers, and she laughed as his natural need to dominate came back full force.

“Something funny?” he asked, barely moving his lips far enough away to get the words out.

“You. I thought I told you not to move?”

“You kissed me. Did you think I was going to stay still after that?” He brushed his lips over hers slowly as he worked one hand under her shirt and past the waistband of her borrowed shorts to cup her bare ass cheek.

“Not really, no.”

“See? You’re getting to know me already.” His next kiss cut off her off before she could retort. She let her eyes close and parted her lips, inviting his tongue to invade her mouth. He groaned deep in his chest and crushed her to him as he took the kiss deeper. Tongues battled, twining and tangling as their breath mingled. Sparks danced up and down her spine and her pussy was dripping cream. Alayna started to climb his body, pulling herself up higher so she could wrap her legs around his hips. She needed to grind her pussy against him to get some relief for her throbbing clit, but he eased her back down to the ground and then lifted his mouth from hers.

“I need to taste you before I fuck you,” his told her bluntly, his dark eyes gleaming with an inner fire that was all for her. Alayna nodded once, and he gave her a near feral grin as he guided her backward until she felt the cool, hard surface of the wall behind her. It was the same wall he had pinned her to last night. Had it only been last night that this had all started? It seemed longer somehow. She reached up and touched the scratches she had left on his cheek. They had only just begun to heal.

“I’m sorry about these,” she found herself apologizing before she even knew she intended to say anything.

“I’m not. You’re wearing my mark, so I have no problem wearing yours.” Nikolai kissed her again, this time with a hint of tenderness.

“When you put it that way…” She playfully tapped her nails against his neck and he grinned at her before dropping to his knees and tugging the overlarge shorts down over her hips.

“The shorts have to go,” he announced with a wicked chuckle that had her pussy creaming all over again. The moment the fabric hit her bare feet she stepped out of them, then without warning Nik’s face was pressed between her thighs and his hand splayed across her stomach, holding her gently in place. Hot breath fanned over the slick lips of her pussy and she spread her legs wider, ignoring the twinges of protest from various body parts that had not yet fully recovered from last night’s sexual marathon. He wrapped his fingers around one ankle and lifted her leg, draping it over his shoulder.

Left standing on one foot, Alayna grabbed at Nikolai’s wrist. She needed it to keep herself steady as she adjusted to her new position. Not that he gave her much time to adapt. The second her thighs parted, his mouth was on her pussy, devouring her with an eagerness that left her breathless. He zeroed in on her clit, holding it lightly between his teeth as he teased the tender bundle of nerves until her legs were trembling and her breath was coming in ragged gasps. When the room started to tilt and whirl she slid her fingers into his hair, pulling him in closer as she started rocking her sex against his mouth.

“That feels so damned good. Don’t you dare stop,” she demanded and he responded with a low groan that vibrated across her clit, pushing her closer release. The tip of his tongue started flicking back and forth across her clit, and the moment his thumb breached the entrance to her pussy, her orgasm hit hard. She cried out his name as pleasure coursed through every cell of her being and still his mouth and digits were working, driving her higher and higher until she felt like she was flying.

Alayna was still trying to find her equilibrium when Nikolai finally moved out from between her legs. He met her gaze as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and then dropped that hand to the fly of his jeans. He didn’t say a word as he undid the zipper and drew the hard length of his cock out of the confines of his dark briefs, keeping his eyes locked on hers the entire time. He fisted the shaft and pumped it a few times before taking his hand off her stomach and raising it to crook his finger at her.

“Come here, Alayna.”

There was something about the way he spoke that made her insides turn to mush and had her blood heating. She slid down the wall and dropped to her knees in front of him. He snagged the collar of her borrowed T-shirt and tore it down the front, baring the rest of her body to him.

“You’re going to owe Colin a new shirt,” she observed, shrugging out of the tattered remains.

“Next time he can tear one of mine off of you.”

“There’s going to be a next time?”

“If you keep putting clothes on, there’s a better than average chance one of us is going to tear them off,” he told her as he leaned in to kiss her. She could taste herself on his lips, a subtle tang that blended with the flavor of the coffee he’d been drinking. As his words sunk in, a wicked thought took root in the back of her mind, and she acted on it before she could reconsider. She fisted her hands in Nikolai’s shirt and tore it from the collar down, baring his chest just as he had bared hers. It was the first time she’d ever used her enhanced strength so blatantly, and it gave her an unexpected rush.

“Why should you two get all the fun?” she asked and then laughed as Nikolai surged forward, trapping her beneath his big body.

“Minx,” he growled her nickname and then slammed his mouth down on hers. He drove into her in a single, fluid thrust that filled her completely. Alayna moaned as her body gave way to his and arched herself off the floor, eager to take every inch of him as deep as he could go. He grunted in frustration, stilling his body as he shifted his weight to one hand so he could jerk his pants further down his legs. Another thick inch slid into her channel, and she moaned again as her inner walls tightened around his cock.

He withdrew until only the tip of his cock was still inside her and she tried to lift her hips to follow him, not wanting to lose their connection.

“Are you
mine?”

His question was so unexpected Alayna was silent for a second, not sure what to say.

“Answer me, Alayna. Are you mine?”

“
That’s what the mark on my face means, doesn’t it?” She retorted sharply. Sex she could deal with right now. She didn’t want to talk about the rest of it.

“I don’t care about the fucking tattoo right now. “Nikolai lifted his head enough to meet her eyes. Desire was etched into every line of his face, but she could see more as well. A seriousness that was just beneath the surface. He rocked his hips, pushing himself a little deeper into her pussy. “Feel that? That’s me, fucking you. I want to bury myself so deep in your body you never forget the way it feels, but I want more from you than that. I want to wake up every morning and know that you’ll be sleeping beside me. I can’t wait for the day that you see me walk into a room and smile at me just because you’re happy to see me. I want the three of us to have a life, not a life sentence. I’ll never be with another woman. You’re it. So you see
, I’m already yours, Alayna. Now I’m asking you, are you mine?”

His words surprised and confused her. She wasn’t ready for this. She couldn’t commit herself. She wouldn’t. But she gave him what she could. “Right now, in this moment, I’m all yours.”

“That’s good enough, but only for now.” She had just enough time to see his serious scowl melt away to a smile before his mouth was on hers and his body started moving in a pounding rhythm that drove every thought and worry out of her mind. She gripped his upper arms, clinging to him tightly to stop the force of his thrusts from pushing her across the kitchen floor. She could feel the hard, sculpted lines of muscle beneath her fingers, tensing and flexing with each shift of his body weight. His kisses were hard, demanding and hungry, his tongue dueling with hers in a thrust and parry that mimicked their lovemaking.

They came at almost the same moment, the thickening surge of his orgasm sending her hurtling over the brink as the first hot jets of his semen began pouring into her womb. Alayna’s entire body quivered and bucked as each new wave of pleasure washed over her, and she could feel every throb and pulse of
Nik’s cock as he came. His kisses softened, becoming almost tender as they both made the slow return back to their senses.

“Hold onto me,” he murmured and carefully rolled onto his back, taking her with him so that she was comfortably sprawled across his massive chest. He curved an arm around her, keeping her secure on her perch while his other hand began gently stroking her hair. “Comfy?”

“Mhmm,” she responded with an affirmative hum, so blissed out it was hard to speak. She was more than comfortable. She felt…contented. It wasn’t a feeling she was all that familiar with. Their bodies were still joined, and for once Alayna had no desire to separate herself from her lover and leave. Not that here was anywhere for her to go, and the reasons that she kept herself distanced from her past lovers no longer existed. Nik and Colin had already exposed her secrets, and there was no point in keeping either man at arm’s length to avoid emotional entanglements. She was stuck with them for the rest of her life. Like it or not, she was going to end up emotionally entangled to some extent. Better it be affection than hatred. It was oddly comforting to know she didn’t have to keep her secrets anymore, at least, not all of them. There’d come a time she’d have to tell them the truth about her identity as Wraith. But today was not that day.

Tomorrow probably wasn’t going to be it either.

***

CHAPTER TEN

Colin knew something was up the moment he walked into the kitchen.
Griz was grinning from ear to ear, and there was a small stack of rags kicked into one corner of the room that hadn’t been there when he’d left.

“Where’s Alayna?”

“Upstairs, getting cleaned up.” Nikolai’s grin grew bigger. “Things got a little messy while we were polishing the floor.”

“You did
not
have her doing housework on the first day! Shit man, we need to convince her we want her as part of the family, not as a maid.”

“I think I stated our case pretty clearly. Oh yeah, and we’re going to need to buy that woman some more clothes.
Us, too.” Nikolai nodded to the stack of rags, positively smirking now. “She looked fucking hot in your stuff, so I tore it off of her.”

“You tore—wait. Back up the
transpo, you smug bastard. You and she…?”

“Right here on the kitchen floor.”

“Classy, Griz. Really classy. We have three beds in this house you know. And why was she wearing my clothes?”

“Because hers were being cleaned.
Did you think I was going to make her put on the same muddy, wet things she had on last night? And before you even ask, no, I didn’t make her do anything she didn’t want to. I think it’s going to be okay. I think she’s going to give this a chance.”

“If she let you jump her in the middle of the kitchen? I’d say that’s a good sign.” Colin breathed an inward sigh of relief. Nikolai wasn’t exactly the most patient or diplomatic guy. The enhancements given to every elite did more than increase their physical size and strength. It also amplified some of the more primal personality traits. In Nikolai’s case, three generations of genetic enhancements meant that he was a big, quick-tempered son of a bitch who didn’t usually play well with others.

They’d bonded over their differences back when they were both newly enhanced. While academically ahead of the curve, Colin’s physical changes came slower than most, making him a target for every bully in their training group. They were both outside the norm, so they became friends. That friendship had lasted more than twenty years.

Nikolai placed a platter stacked high with food into the warming tray and turned to Colin. “Before she gets back, there are a few things we need to talk about. Did you register our change in status?”

“Yeah. She’s all ours. They want her to come in so they can get her DNA registered, along with a checkup. While we’re there, they can also deactivate her birth control.”

“I think we should hold off on deactivation for a bit. Alayna needs some time.” Nikolai’s jaw was tight and his expression was troubled. Something was off. They had both agreed that once they had their Chosen they didn’t want to wait long to start a family. If Nikolai was having a change of heart, then something must have happened in the short time Colin was gone.

“All right, Griz. Let me grab a coffee and you can tell me what happened.”

* * * *

Alayna heard two voices in quiet conversation, and her lips quirked up into a smile. Colin was back. She was wearing yet another one of his shirts, because hers were still being cleaned. She was halfway down the stairs before it even occurred to her that knowing both her men were home made her happy. Then she half stumbled down the last few steps when she caught herself thinking that this was her home and they were
her
men.

What the hell was happening to her?

It should take more than a night of great sex to make her turn her back on everything she’d been raised to believe. The Alliance and those who worked to do its bidding were not to be trusted. They allowed fertile woman to be treated like breeding cattle, took the best and brightest of the children for mandatory military service, and maintained a monopoly on everything from luxury items to such basic items as food and medicine. She couldn’t change the fact that she was now part of the Alliance, but she shouldn’t be happy about it. Sam would never forgive her for that.

Shit.
I have to tell Sam what’s happened to me. He’s going to go nova.

Feeling more subdued now, Alayna headed for the kitchen. Both men were watching for her, and she felt the weight of their gazes as she stepped into the room and headed straight to the coffee maker.

“Good morning,” Colin said, smiling.

“Morning.”
Her one word response made his smile fade, and Alayna felt a pang of guilt. Was this the way it was going to be from now on? If she tried to be happy with her new situation, she’d be betraying her upbringing. If she tried to remain true to the ideas she’d been raised with, she’d be forever at odds with the men who had claimed her and the life they were offering her.

Now both her head
and
her heart were aching. What the hell was she going to do?

“Alayna?
What’s wrong?” Nik moved behind her and set one hand lightly between her shoulder blades. She shrugged it off and stepped away from him, but he doggedly pursued her.

“Nothing’s wrong,” she said and he growled in response.

“Liar.”

“You don’t know me well enough to say that. Stars, you don’t know me at all. Neither of you do.”

“We know you better than you think,” Strong hands spun her around and she was surprised to find herself staring up at Colin, not Nikolai. She hadn’t even heard him move from the table where he’d been sitting.

“How can you know anything about me? You’ve both known me less than a day.”

Colin moved closer, placing a hand on the counter on either side of her so she was caged in. “I know that if you were raised out there in the badlands, then you’re tough. You’d have to be, or you’d be long dead. I know that you think that the Alliance is an evil, faceless, army that lives for war and doesn’t give a damn about anything else. I know that, because that’s what they taught my mother too. And I also know that if you were happy enough with the state of things this morning to let Griz touch you again, then something has changed, because you are clearly
not
happy right now.”

“Fine.
You got me. I’m not happy. The shock must be wearing off because I realized a few things while I was upstairs. No one knows where I am. There are people who rely on me to help them survive, and I can’t do that for them anymore. I have to tell them they are on their own from now on. I don’t have much, but most of it is still at my room in town, where I can’t get to it, and I don’t even possess a toothbrush.” She rocked back on her heels and stared up at Colin, waiting for his response.

She didn’t have to wait very long.

Colin saw the hurt and confusion and did the only thing he could think of. He leaned in and kissed her. He didn’t even try to stop her when she reached up and slapped him, though he did catch hold of her wrists after that, pinning them to her sides so she couldn’t hit him again. At first she fought him, but he didn’t stop until her tension eased and she softened against him. He lifted his lips from hers and released her hands to gather her into his arms, tucking her head under his chin as he held her.

“I know, princess. And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry this is so hard for you. After we eat, why don’t you and I go into town and get your things, then at least you’ll have a toothbrush. And we’ll get you anything else you need too. Clothes, shoes, whatever you want. We can get a message to your foster father and anyone else you want to talk to.” He
paused half a heartbeat before adding. “And you’re going to need some identification.”

“Yes, thanks, and why the hell do I need identification? Doesn’t this tattoo basically state that I’m the property of Generals Neilson and Grekov, hands off?” There was a bitter edge to her words, but she was definitely calmer now.

“It tells the world that you are ours to protect, and that anyone so much as looking at you sideways is going to answer to us. And you’re going to need ID, because that’s how things work in the Alliance. You need access to the household accounts, and if you ever want to see us on the base you’ll need to prove who you are. Security used to be pretty lax, but we’ve got things tightened up now.”

Alayna pressed her lips to his chest, almost completely muffling her soft snicker of laughter.

“Did I say something funny?”

She was quiet for a second,
then said, “You think it’s a good idea to give a thief who broke into your house access to your bank accounts?”

“No, I don’t. But I think that our chosen needs to have access to credits so she can buy anything she thinks we need. Last night, you were a thief. Today, you’re something much more. If you empty the account, then you’ll just be stealing from yourself. Most of the forms have been filed. You’re legally entitled to part of everything we have.”

“I…really?” She sounded so surprised, he couldn’t help but smile.

“Yes, really.
Didn’t you know that?”

“No,” she said and shifted in his arms, leaning back so that she could look at him. “I thought you owned me, and I got to own nothing.”

“You thought wrong,” Nikolai chimed in.

“What do you think about the three of us going in together and you can ask the staff anything you want about what your rights are as our chosen.”

“That sounds good.”

She smiled then, and Colin thought his heart might burst. She was so damned beautiful, and she was all theirs. He loved the way her new tattoo looked. The shimmering lines only enhanced her natural beauty. It was hard to believe that she was truly theirs now, and there wasn’t a force in the galaxy that could take her away from them. His fingers skimmed over the lines and she froze, her green eyes widening.

“Sorry. I needed to touch it. To know it’s real.”

“Oh, it’s real all right,” she said, her eyes glowing with mild irritation. “I scrubbed at it for nearly ten minutes straight in the shower this morning. It’s definitely not coming off.”

“Griz is right. You
are
a minx.”

“I’m right about a lot of things. You just have a hard time admitting it,” Nikolai said.

“Anyone ever tell you that you two bicker like a couple of old biddies?”

“What the hell is a biddy?” Colin asked as he reluctantly released her and stepped back.

“You know, I’m not really sure. It’s something Sam says.”

Colin felt a coil of jealousy wrap around his chest and squeeze. “Who’s Sam?”

“My foster father. Sam Dixon.”

Fuck.

Nikolai shot Colin an uneasy look and then groaned aloud. “You didn’t mention his last name when we were talking about him earlier. Your foster father is Samuel Dixon?”

“He hates it when people call him Samuel, but yeah, that’s him.” Her eyes glittered with amusement and Colin was
almost relieved to see she knew what they were going to say next. Almost, because this little tidbit was most certainly going to come back and bite them in the ass, sooner than later.

“You were raised by this region’s biggest trouble maker and anti-Alliance dissident?” Colin already knew what her answer would be, but he needed to be sure.

She nodded in affirmation.

“Well that explains where you got your skewed opinions of the Alliance and what it means to be chosen,” Nikolai commented, looking a little queasy at the news.

“Think what family get-togethers are going to be like now, Griz. Your family vs. Sam Dixon, we could sell tickets!” Colin couldn’t help but laugh. It seemed the universe was going to make them pay for claiming Alayna against her will. The only good news was that Sam Dixon had never been actually charged with anything. They’d been given his file when they’d been sent to take over this base, and Colin knew that it was all conjecture and hearsay. Which was a blessing really, because he was very certain that Alayna would take a dim view of them arresting her foster father the first time he came to visit.

Alayna laughed softly and gently pushed both men out of her way before pouring a cup of coffee. “I did warn you two that you could do better than me before you stuck this mark on my face.”

Colin tweaked the tail of her braid. “Yes, you did. You’re still wrong about that. Come on, let’s eat and then I’ll take you into town. We’ve got a lot to do today.”