aHunter4Ever (14 page)

He wasn’t coming.

What if they had caught him?

Grace slid farther under the stone outcrop until she was at the end of
the small cave-like cubby hole. It was barely large enough to hold her body and
she had to pull her legs up close to her chest to fit properly. There was a
stream of light coming in from the opening and that was the only thing that was
keeping her from panicking.

Her body shook with reaction to the horror that she had just escaped. She
couldn’t bare for them to capture her again. Partlan said that he would protect
her, but if they found her in this hole, there would only one thing that would
keep her safe.

Death.

She couldn’t face going back into the torture chamber she’d just left. It
was bad enough that such a place existed on earth, but to think that there were
alien creatures who were doing the experiments was beyond what any reasonable
person could accept. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn’t
believe it.

The whirring of a helicopter blade grew louder. That could mean only one
thing. They were getting close enough to land the thing. Once that happened,
they would find her. She pulled out her pistol and checked that it was loaded.
She counted ten bullets. That meant she had nine shots. She would not be taken
alive.

She cocked the pistol and pointed to the entrance. Anyone who came
through the opening would be shot dead before their eyes had a chance to adjust
to the darkness. She inhaled a deep breath and steadied her hand. There was no
room for mistakes.

The noise of the blades grew louder.

Her eyes narrowed as she honed her aim.

Suddenly, a loud explosion shook the earth. She put a hand out to steady
herself and looked up at the rock ceiling of her hideout. There was a creaking
noise, but no movement. It held in place. The helicopter’s engines revved loud
and then the noise of the blades was diminishing. The aircraft was moving away.
She let out the breath she’d been holding and put her gun down with a shaky
hand. She’d been in danger before, but never had she thought about taking her
own life.

This was not a normal day at the office.

Nothing was normal since she’d met Partlan.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the sleeve of her jacket. The
man was larger than life and had turned her existence upside down. She’d had everything
arranged. Her career with the FBI was on track and she was up for promotion to
supervisor. All she had to do was solve the Walters kidnapping case and the
promotion was hers.

Her ears pricked up at the faint sound of movement outside. There was a
scuffling noise and then it stopped. She strained to hear more, but the only
sound was the crickets. It must have been nerves or an animal. There was no way
that Partlan could have returned from dumping the ATV. She eased the gun down
beside her just as the shuffling noise returned.

Before she could raise her weapon, someone had landed on top of her.

She struggled to free herself.

“Quiet.” A familiar voice whispered. “They may be able to pick up sounds
at this distance.”

“Great.” Grace sagged back against the hard ground. “One more thing to
worry about.”

“It will not be a problem.”

“Easy for you to say. I barely heard you coming.” Grace’s voice was a
harsh whisper. “What was the loud explosion?”

“Eogan managed a distraction for us.”

“Is it safe for us to leave then?”

“Not until nightfall.” Partlan edged in closer. “They have two different
directions to follow.”

“They’ll think we’ve split up.”

“That is what I would assume.” Partlan took the gun from her. “Did you
not hear my mind connection?”

She shook her head. “I was too focused on the explosion and helicopter.”

“I tried to warn you.”

Grace blew the hair from her eyes. “Everything has gone crazy. Nothing is
as it should be.”

“There are no rules in combat.”

“I’m not talking about fighting.” Grace clenched her hands into fists.
“It’s the kidnapping, the creatures, and the fact that humans are helping
aliens experiment on us.”

“The Albireons are very convincing.”

Partlan’s voice was so calm she wanted to scream at him to show some
emotion. Instead, she took a deep breath and let go of all of her anger.
Partlan’s logical thinking had got them out of the compound. She needed a clear
head if she was going to help him figure out how to escape this new
predicament.

“I will find a way.” Partlan’s words interrupted her thoughts.

“How did you know what I was thinking?”

“You forget our connection.” Partlan’s tone was patient. “I heard you
call for me when the Albireons were going to hurt you. That is how I found
you.”

“It still seems impossible.”

“Outside of the connection between our fellow Hunters, the pair bond is
the most intense. If they mate, that will increase their ability to understand
and hear each other’s thoughts.”

“You mean there’s a choice.” Grace leaned her head back against the rock.
“I thought you just randomly picked someone out of a crowd to be your mate.”

“We were chosen to be bonded. There is no understanding why we connect
with one woman and not another. I have been near many women since coming to
Earth and you are the only one I bonded with.”

“That makes me lucky I suppose.” Grace heaved a sigh. “Ever since you
showed up in Beverly Hills, my life has been nuts.”

“For me, it is the opposite.” Partlan lowered his voice. “Everything has suddenly
made sense. I see beauty all around me and that is because I have bonded with
you. You have given my life purpose.”

A twinge of joy pinched at her heart, but she refused to give in. If she
really was Partlan’s pair bond, she needed to be certain that he wouldn’t
betray her and leave. So far he’d been a man of his word, but years of being
abandoned couldn’t be forgotten. She was attracted to Partlan, she even
believed there was a connection, but she didn’t know how far she wanted to take
their relationship.

“In time, you will see that I am a man of honor. All Hunters are.”

“You’re reading my thoughts again.” A shiver went through her.

“No.” Partlan gathered her close. “Our connection means that I feel what
you do. Right now I sense your uncertainty. Nothing, you or anyone does, will
break our bond. I am completely committed to you. You are the only woman I
could ever mate with.”

Grace snuggled closer to him and inhaled his scent. Peace and comfort
settled within her. “It’s so hard to believe you haven’t mated with anyone
else.”

“It was forbidden.” Partlan stroked a hand down her back. “I was bred to
obey.”

“So, I would be your first mate.”

“My only mate.” Partlan’s voice was a gentle rebuke. “There will never be
anyone but you.”

Grace eased herself closer to Partlan. There was something in the tone of
his voice that told her he was telling the truth. Words failed her as she
thought of the gorgeous man who was holding her close. Women would fall over
themselves to be in her position. How could she continue to deny her feelings,
especially when he had done so much to protect her? She yawned and then covered
her mouth.

“I believe you, but it’s difficult to accept.” Grace ran a shaky hand
over his chest. “Men leave me. My father, and then my fiancé. That was the
worst. He left me at the altar and I vowed that day to never let myself trust
another man. I threw myself into my career and never looked back.”

“I vowed to follow the Sacred Code.” Partlan was close enough that she
could feel his breath against her cheek. “I would never force you. If you have
no wish for a mate, then I will honor your decision. We will always be
connected, though.”

“Can’t you find someone else?” Grace’s voice held a note of disbelief.

“For me, there will only be you.” Partlan cleared his throat. “If you
decide to mate with another man, I will still be bonded to you.”

“How could you accept that?”

“A woman makes the decisions. We obey her wishes.”

“That’s how it was on your planet?” Grace faltered on the word planet. It
was still too new for her to be comfortable with Partlan being an alien.

“It was until the civil war, and the Holman defeated the Kaladin.”

“And ordered Hunters executed.” Grace’s eyes started to droop and she
fought the urge to yawn.

Partlan tucked her head under his chin. “You are tired and should sleep.
I will keep watch.”

“That’s not fair. I can help.”

“You need to be ready for our journey this evening.” Partlan rubbed his
chin over the top of her head. “I am trained to be on guard at all times. It is
best you sleep.”

Grace yawned. “I shouldn’t be so tired. I can’t even think straight.”

“It is a reaction to your harrowing experience and the sedation drugs you
were given. Sleep.”

Grace fought to keep her eyes open, but it was pointless. No sooner had
she opened one, when the other shut. She drifted off into a deep sleep. No
dreams disturbed her until she was awoken by the gentle shake of her shoulder.
She stretched her arms above her head and rubbed her eyes.

“What?”

“It is time to leave.”

The night air was cool. Grace rubbed her arms and ran to keep pace with
Partlan. They’d been walking for what seemed like hours and her feet hurt. He
moved with apparent ease through the rough desert terrain. It was almost as if
he could see in the dark. She frowned. Was this something else he hadn’t
mentioned?

“Can you see at night?”

“Of course.” Partlan stopped and she ran into his back. “Do you have
night blindness?”

“There’s no moon.” Grace took several fast breaths. “Everything is an
inky black which makes it difficult to see.”

“Our vision is improved on your planet.”

“Why not? You do everything else better.” Grace’s voice was a disgruntled
mumble. The man was perfect.

“You are tired. We will rest soon.”

Grace shook her head and walked ahead. Partlan touched her arm. A spark
of awareness flew through her and settled in her inner core. She inhaled a
sharp breath as intense desire vibrated within her. A stillness settled between
them and she waited for Partlan’s reaction.

“Our bond is getting stronger.” His spoke in a hoarse whisper.

“You felt it too.” Grace’s voice trembled. She wasn’t a stranger to
passion, but this was more than a physical attraction. She sensed Partlan on a
spiritual and mental level. They were one.

“It is a powerful connection.” He took her hand. “I will not fail to get
you to safety.”

The sun was hovering on the horizon when they finally stopped. They had
reached a road. It was paved and Partlan let her stop to rest. He scanned the
area and then led her north of the road and farther into the desert terrain.

“Can’t we stay on the highway?” Exhaustion was making Grace’s steps less
steady.

“It will be watched.” Partlan’s voice was low. “We will keep it within
sight as we travel to the town.”

“Do you have a plan?”

Partlan headed toward another rocky outcrop. It was a small cave-like
cavern with low growing grass and a couple of short scraggly trees covering the
entrance.

“Help will be waiting for us at the airport.”

“Eogan?”

“No.” Partlan crouched down in front of the cave entrance. “I have contacted
Ardal. A team of Hunters is on its way to help.”

Grace frowned. “Is that wise? What if the people at the facility capture
them too?”

“They will take precautions.”

Grace took a sip of water and handed it to him. “You can mind connect
over the ocean or was there someone in Australia.”

He put the bottle in the backpack. “Distance is not a problem. It is a
secret that only Hunters know.”

“Should you be telling me?” Telepathic communication would make a
military unit more effective. It would be information that anyone trying to
capture the alien warriors would want to know.

“You are my pair bond. As our connection gets stronger, our ability to
mind connect improves also.”

“Do I have a choice?” Grace leaned forward with her arms between her
legs. “What if I don’t want you roaming about in my head?”

“You may block me.” Partlan glanced at the eastern sky and then motioned
for her to get into the rock shelter.

“That’s why you were always one step ahead of me in finding the boys’ kidnappers.”
Grace got down on her knees and pushed into the cool dark cave. “I never stood
a chance against you.”

“That is not true.” Partlan eased in beside her. “Your background
information led us to the perpetrators. From there, it was easy to find the
boys.”

“Easy?” Grace didn’t bother to hide her surprise. “That child trafficking
ring had been in existence for years without anyone finding out about them. You
and your men found them in a couple of days.”

“That is what we are trained to do.” Partlan pulled a blanket out of the
backpack they had retrieved from the ATV the day before.

Grace pushed her back against the cold stone. The cave was double the
size of the one they had spent the previous day in. It was luxurious by
comparison, with a dirt floor that would make sleeping comfortable.

“So you traveled the universe saving kidnap victims? Is there really that
much crime in space?”

“We right wrongs, wherever and whatever they might be.” Partlan stretched
out the long length of his body beside her. “We have never had to deal with a
trafficking ring before. On Cygnus such a crime does not exist.”

“Only humans are capable of such an atrocity.” Grace’s tone was dry.
After ten years in the FBI, nothing surprised her anymore.

“That is not true.” Partlan gathered her close and spread the blanket
over them. “Look at what the Albireons were about to do to you.”

Grace shuddered at the memory. “I won’t go back there. Promise you will
kill me before you let them capture me.”

Partlan’s breath stilled for a second. “It will not come to that. I will
die defending you.”

Grace stretched out the kinks in her legs. “I have ten bullets in my gun.
I only plan on using nine. The last one I’m saving.”

“Do not speak of such things. I will keep you alive.” Partlan’s voice was
firm. “You need sleep. I will wake you when it is safe to move.”

“What about you?” Grace listened to the steady beat of Partlan’s heart
under her ear. It was soothing. “You haven’t had any rest.”

“I am trained for this.” Partlan ran a hand through her hair. “You have
no worries.”

She lifted her head off his chest and strained her eyes to make out his
face in the dim light of their small cave. He was gazing back at her with a
look that caused her insides to twist with love.

Love?

Did she love Partlan?

She inhaled a sharp breath at the thought. Surely she couldn’t be
serious. There was no way she could have fallen in love with an alien, even if
he was human.

“What troubles you?” Partlan’s voice held concern.

“Nothing.” Grace turned her face into Partlan’s chest.

It couldn’t be true.

No one fell in love that quickly. Especially in their present
circumstances. Danger surrounded them and throughout it, Partlan had been at
her side. She had thought she was in love with Travis, her ex-fiancé, but that
had been different. There had been no connection between them. They’d shared
the same goals, and had both wanted a family, but that was all. She’d
mistakenly believed that was love. It hadn’t been enough.

“What are you thinking about?” Partlan lifted her chin.

“Travis, my ex-fiancé.” Grace didn’t bother to lie. Too much had happened
for her to hold back the truth now.

“The man who left you?”

“He ran at the first chance he had.” Grace’s voice took on a musing
quality. “It’s funny the things you remember. He never once said he loved me.”

“He was a fool.”

Grace shook her head. “I was the one who was blind. I wanted to find love
so badly that I was willing to accept whatever excuses Travis gave me.”

“You deserve better.”

“I know that now.” Grace’s voice dropped to a low whisper. “I never knew
what love was before I met you.”

“You believe in the pair bond.” His voice cracked.

“I don’t know about that, but I believe in love.” Grace stroked her
finger down Partlan’s cheek. “I’ve suddenly realized what that means.”

She reached up and brushed her lips across his. A jolt of electricity
shot through her. She gasped at the intensity, but she didn’t end the kiss. She
wanted more. She needed to feel and experience everything about this man.

Her tongue stroked his and then the power of their connection took over.
Heated desire and wanton need had her pulling at his jacket and shirt. She
craved the touch of his skin; to know what his hard muscled firmness felt
against her body. Partlan broke the kiss. His breath was coming in gasps.

“What do you want?”

“You.” Grace kissed his chin. “I have to know if this is real.”

“Show me.”

Grace rolled the ends of his shirt up his chest. “Take your top off.”

Partlan did as she asked. His hand reached for the button of her blouse.
“What about you.”

She shook her head. “This is your first time. It should be about you.”

Her hand roamed over his firm chest and abdomen, reaching lower until she
felt the barrier of his belt and pants. “Take these off too.”

“If this is for me, then I need to see you too.” Partlan pushed off his
boots.

Grace ran a hand over his lower abdomen, luxuriating in the power she
felt when he tensed at her touch. The sun was low on the horizon and a streak
of light brightened the darkness of their hiding place. It shimmered and
highlighted the taut muscles of Partlan’s chest and abdomen. The man was
gorgeous.

His fingers moved across her waist. “Do you need help?”

Grace shrugged out of her jacket and gathered the edge of her blouse and
pulled it over her head. She wore her clothes loose enough so that was all she
had to do. She pushed her pants off her hips and kicked her legs free. Partlan
followed suit. Soon, they were both naked and facing each other. Grace didn’t
feel exposed, though.

She had come home at last.

There was no shame or judgement in letting this man see her body.

Partlan’s eyes skimmed over her, leaving heat in their wake. She took his
hand and placed it over her heart. It beat fast and furious as his fingers
brushed her skin and then moved up to her neck. He tilted her chin until she
could see his eyes. An inner light glowed from the deep black of his orbs.

Adoration.

Commitment.

A forever love.

A shiver of longing went through her. Never had a man looked at her like
that. She melted. She stretch up and captured his lips and let her body and
soul lead her on this new journey of love. She didn’t care about the danger
they faced, or the threat of capture. All she wanted was to be with this man,
who claimed her as his mate.

The kiss was a promise.

Grace let the world spin away as she lost herself in the beauty of love.
Partlan’s fingers caressed her cheek and neck, moving lower until he touched
her breasts. His thumb fluttered against her nipple and a sharp, sweet twist of
desire settled in her lower abdomen. She ran her foot down the length of
Partlan’s leg, almost purring when she felt the answering tremor in him.

This was what she wanted and needed.

It didn’t matter that they were hiding in a cave, or that they were being
hunted by men who would kill them. All she craved was to experience the
sensations that Partlan was stirring within her. She had searched for love her
whole life and she wanted to experience it, no matter what the future held.

Partlan let his fingers and lips roam over her breasts, licking and
tasting every inch of her before he took her nipple in his mouth and suckled.
Moist heat flooded her inner core and she groaned.

“Did I do something wrong?” His voice held concern.

Grace shook her head. “It’s perfect. Don’t stop.”

Partlan grinned. “As you command.”

He moved to her other breast and his ministrations had her body pulsing
with need. She arched her back and reached out to touch him. Her fingers
feathered across his chest and then she brushed his nipple. Partlan inhaled a
sharp breath as a tremor shook his body. Grace pushed him onto his back and
kissed her way up his chest to his neck.

She straddled him and nibbled his lower lip.

“You make me crazy with need.” Her voice was a husky whisper. “I want to
take this slow, but I don’t think I’ll be able to.”

He framed her face with his hands. “I cannot wait.”

She grinned and leaned in for a searing kiss. Their tongues dueled and
the heat within her built to a breaking point. She rubbed against him,
luxuriating in the shivers of delight that sparked between them. Her body ached
for more.

She wanted him deep within her.

To dance with him in the flames of passion.

She stroked his long length as she guided him to her. He was magnificent.
She arched her back and eased herself onto him. She held her breath at the
wonder of being joined with Partlan. Her eyes locked with his. When he filled
her completely, it was as if he’d touched her soul. The beauty of it was
devastating.

Shards of bliss exploded within her and settled in her womb.

She tilted her hips up and slid down again in a delicious, slow, descent.

Every nerve ending in her body screamed for more. Partlan grasped her
hips and guided her movements until she was lost in the motion of their
lovemaking. Time ceased to exist. Pleasure rippled through her as she leaned
down to kiss Partlan.

He held her close, his lips drinking from hers, stroking and caressing
until she was crazed with need. Partlan twisted his body and moved her beneath
him, continuing to thrust with an unhurried, steady, penetration that had her
on the screaming edge of euphoria. She pulsed with feverish tension until
exquisite rapture exploded within her in a shattering climax. Seconds later,
Partlan shuddered and collapsed onto her.

Grace trembled with the aftermath of ecstasy that filled her. Never had
she experience such complete fulfillment. The barriers that surrounded her
heart gave way and a lifetime of suppressed emotion burst through. Tears welled
up in her eyes and she found herself sobbing against Partlan’s chest.

“I have hurt you.” Partlan’s voice was full of distress. He shifted off
her and pulled her close.

Grace shook her head and tried to halt her tears, but once the dam had
broken there was no stopping it. “You did nothing wrong.” Grace’s words were
interspersed with sobs.

“You should not be crying.”

“I need to.” Grace clung to Partlan. “Hold me.”

Partlan’s arms tightened around her. “I will never let you go. You are my
mate and there will never be anyone else.”

“Promise.”

“It is a truth and my vow. A Hunter never betrays his word.”

It was several minutes before her tears subsided. Grace was refreshed and
cleansed. She hiccupped as the last of her sobs gave way to yawns. She was
emotionally drained, but free of the past. She owed that to Partlan. He’d shown
her what true love was. She snuggled closer to him and let the steady beat of
his heart relax her.