Hunted (Dark Protectors) (12 page)
Read Hunted (Dark Protectors) Online
Authors: Rebecca Zanetti
Burn indeed. Conn caught his little mate, wondering what other surprises she held.
Chapter 13
M
oira awoke in the plane to the sound of typing. Bubbling energy popped through her veins. She’d taken a lot of power from Gena. Her mate sat across the aisle, pounding his laptop. He sprawled in the seat, and his long fingers were surprisingly agile on the keyboard. Concentrating, he alternated between scowling and nodding. One thing about Conn, he didn’t hide his emotions. Part arrogance, part confidence, she got the feeling he disliked wasting time ... and hiding out wasted time.
oira awoke in the plane to the sound of typing. Bubbling energy popped through her veins. She’d taken a lot of power from Gena. Her mate sat across the aisle, pounding his laptop. He sprawled in the seat, and his long fingers were surprisingly agile on the keyboard. Concentrating, he alternated between scowling and nodding. One thing about Conn, he didn’t hide his emotions. Part arrogance, part confidence, she got the feeling he disliked wasting time ... and hiding out wasted time.
She cleared her throat. “Did you tell the king about tonight?”
“Yes.” Conn didn’t look her way, reading his screen and frowning.
She could’ve asked him to keep her secret, and for a moment had even considered making the request. But she refused to use him, asking him to be someone he was not. His allegiance to the Realm made him who he was. She understood.
Her mind came fully awake. She sat up in the chair. “Wait. We needed to wait for the shipment.”
“Daire showed up right after you passed out. Late to the party, as usual.”
Confusion swirled around Moira’s head. “He planned to take Gena into custody?” Someone needed to question the witch.
“Yes.”
Relief had her relaxing back into the seat. Daire would get to the truth. “Any news?”
“Yeah. He said the ship didn’t come in. So far Gena has not regained consciousness.”
“Bollocks.” Where the hell was the shipment? “I’m surprised Daire let you take me.”
“So am I.”
Okay. That couldn’t be good. What was the Coven Nine up to?
Conn kept his gaze on the screen. “So. You fight with plasma balls, take another witch’s power, and turn organs to mush.” The typing continued as he talked. “Can you turn the organs of nonhumans liquid?”
She rubbed her nose. What should she say? “Not yet. I mean, the power grows through the ages. But humans are easy.” Maybe she shouldn’t let him know his spleen was safe. Oh well, too late. “The enforcers protect the council and are the Nine’s front line, as you know—and taking power is the main way we do that.” They also helped train the Nine’s soldiers for battle, but that was mostly a side job. “We’re sent out when someone is abusing quantum physics ... abusing magic. We, ah, make them stop.”
He lifted an eyebrow, leaning forward to peer at his screen. “What other ways do people abuse magic?” Low, a barely perceptible threat hung in his words.
Her body tensed, reacting immediately. “When the humans learned how to split an atom, they created atomic energy ... a big bomb. Imagine someone screwing with subatomic particles.”
“I understand the possibilities but didn’t think anyone was stupid enough to try. Or rather, I thought your soldiers had a better grasp on your citizens.” Conn sucked in air. “Jesus. They might blow up the entire planet.”
“The entire galaxy, more likely.” Sometimes morons didn’t think before messing around with forces they should avoid. “We also step in when someone is trying to manipulate other beings for profit or gain.”
“I see.” He closed the laptop, swiveling his chair to face her.
Her thoughts scrambled like a satellite signal gone wrong.
A dark shirt spread across his powerful chest, which tapered to a narrow waist and worn jeans. An inferno swept inside her veins. She traced every contour of his hard face with an attention born of need. His gaze darkened, and he waited her out, letting her drink her fill, not moving.
Awareness filtered through the haze in her head. Patience stood as yet another of his weapons. He held so much control over himself, as well as anything in his way.
As if he’d made the challenge out loud, the need to take him rushed through her. She wanted to be the one woman in the universe who could make him lose that control. The burning fire in her veins from the fight earlier propelled her into action.
With the inherent instinct of a predator, she moved gracefully, dropping to her knees between his legs.
His sharp intake of breath made her bite back a smile. Sage and man filled her nostrils. Slowly, showing him true control, she reached for his belt. Defined abdomen muscles clenched against her knuckles. The buckle released easily, the belt catching on each loop as she drew the leather loose.
He swallowed. Loudly.
Nimble fingers had his jeans unsnapped as she sprang him free. Large, throbbing, and so ready for her. A murmur of appreciation wandered up her throat. How kind of him to go commando. She leaned forward, swiping her tongue across the tip of his cock. Salt and male exploded on her taste buds.
Erotic pain danced along her scalp as his hands dug into her hair. “Moira.” Part groan, part plea, he tried to tug her head back.
“No.” She shook her head. “I need this, Conn.”
With a start, she realized the truth. Many powers fought for dominance inside her. Oh, she’d win. Her natural power would assimilate the other. But for now ... she needed a release. More than that, she needed Conn. The marking on her hip bone flickered alive, sending tendrils of demand to her clit.
With a groan, he loosened his hold, throwing back his head to smack the seat. Both hands still cupped her scalp, keeping her in place. “Take what you need.”
She hummed in appreciation against him, power filling her when he stiffened with a ground-out groan. Books didn’t do this justice. Scooting forward, she took more of him in her mouth ... not even a third of him, yet he breathed heavily, his body tightening.
Conn bit his lip until blood welled in his mouth. Inexperience and determination made for a lethal combination. . . she was going to kill him. His mate’s soft licks and adventurous nibbles had his heart thumping so hard he figured a rib or two might break. Not that he gave a flying shit. She could shatter every bone in his body so long as she didn’t stop.
The musky scent of her arousal mixed with lilacs and filled his senses. The animal inside him lunged to life, demanding he take her.
Her mouth enclosed his tip and he surged up, choking her. “Sorry.” Releasing her hair, he grabbed the armrests, digging in his nails. If the woman wanted to explore, he wouldn’t stop her. The wet heat of her mouth remained around him, her jaw relaxing.
She swallowed.
His cock hardened more than he’d thought possible. A roaring filled his ears, his nails rent the leather, and his shoulders shook with the fight to retain control. “Moira, sweetheart. Stop.” He didn’t mean it. God, he didn’t mean it.
She chuckled around him.
That was it.
His control ruptured.
He charged her, knocking her back on her butt. Both hands dug into her jeans, half lifting her and tearing down the sides. The sound spurred him on. Her delicate panties ripped in two.
Flipping her around, he covered her, reaching for her heat. Wet. She was ready. She gave a low laugh, part temptation, part challenge. He gripped her hips and plunged inside her so hard she shot forward, catching herself with her forearms on the rough carpet.
“Conn,” she gasped.
He stilled. His balls vibrated with the need to take her. Harder. More.
What the hell was he doing? “Moira.” Lush hips filled his palms. His hands shook. “I’m ...” Stop. He needed to stop. The beast inside him bellowed in protest.
She shoved back against him, her buttocks flush to his groin, her thick heat surrounding him. “Don’t stop. Please, don’t stop.”
At her husky plea, the beast won.
The spongy material of her shirt shredded in his hands. Her skin nearly glowed white in the muted light. Bare, fragile, and so damn soft. He caressed down both sides of her spine, pulsing inside her. She gripped him like a vise, quivering around him. Perfect. She was so fucking perfect his chest hurt.
He slid out and then back in. Blood filled his ears, lilacs filled his life. His body started to thrust, no longer remotely attached to his brain. Neurons fired uselessly. Wrapped around him, Moira was the only thing in existence. With a growl, he shoved her shoulder down, pushing her face against her forearms.
He wanted her open ... vulnerable ... helpless.
The whimper she sobbed sounded like need and demand.
He gave in to the demand, pounding into her. Sensations bombarded him, some hers, some his ... some beyond them both. His fangs dropped low. Sparks lit down his back to twirl at the base of his spine. Close. He was so close.
Reaching around her, he found her swollen clit. She levered up, her head thrown back, her spine arching, meeting him thrust for thrust.
He tangled his hand in her hair. Pushed her back down. His way—this time, his way. A tightened grip quelled her protest, his palm extending across her scalp to hold her in place. Tight thighs quivered against his as his stance widened, spreading her legs farther. Open. Completely at his mercy.
His other hand clutched her hip, yanking her back to meet every thrust. Her buttocks shook with the force of his momentum, even as she tried to keep up. His tongue swelled with the need for her blood. “Mine.” Promise or vow ... it came from his soul.
She stiffened. Then, with a sigh, her shoulders and thighs relaxed.
Submission. He’d never sought it, he’d never wanted it. Until now.
As his powerful mate submitted of her own free will, she pierced his heart in two, sealing their fate. As if they’d ever had a choice.
The creature inside him, the one he often fought, took over. He plunged harder, deeper, beyond the physical. She trembled under him. With a pinch to her clit, she broke. A scream of release filled the airplane, her heat squeezing his cock so hard his vision went black.
Waves rippled around him.
Pleasure cascaded from her.
A growl ripped from his soul.
He angled deeper, covering her. Quick as a flash, his fangs pierced her neck. She orgasmed again. Honey and energy flowed into his mouth. His back heated, a hot poker of lust stabbed a centimeter behind his balls. Holding on to everything that mattered in life, he shot forward, keeping her captive. With a roar from the animal within, he came.
Chapter 14
A
bulletproof black Hummer met Moira and Conn at the private airport. Ignoring Moira’s wild hair and the scent of sex clinging to them, the driver stared straight ahead as he quickly squired them away.
bulletproof black Hummer met Moira and Conn at the private airport. Ignoring Moira’s wild hair and the scent of sex clinging to them, the driver stared straight ahead as he quickly squired them away.
She cleared her throat, tugging on the borrowed shirt Cara had left in the plane. Considering the number of outfits to choose from, Moira wondered just how often a Kayrs mate ended up with shredded jeans. A lingering sadness remained at the loss of her Irish clothing. She liked the hand-sewn perfection of the Irish silks.
Her emotions rioted worse than her hair. Something whispered in the back of her heart that she’d given everything to the vampire on the plane, and of her own volition.
He’d been quiet and thoughtful on the drive, increasing her anxiety. Connlan Kayrs being quiet foretold disaster.
The SUV stopped at a guarded gate of a private community, allowed to pass after the driver flashed a badge. Three streets of luxurious houses lined the way with the ocean at the far end, a lighter colored sea than the one in Ireland.
Conn settled back into the plush leather seat, his gaze on the tumultuous ocean. “We own all the homes in the community and the surrounding land. We have motion, heat, cold, and energy sensors around the perimeter. Our house is in the middle next to Dage’s with a gorgeous view of the sea.”
“Ah, that’s nice.” Was this the 1950s? Did the man expect her to plan a Tupperware party or host Bunco? “A subdivision?”
He lifted an eyebrow, a grin threatening on his full lips. “Yes. Now that some of us are taking mates, we need homes. Talen and I’ve been working on this plan for decades.”
“I’m assuming there’s an underground headquarters, if necessary?” Genius planning. The rocky cliffs provided ample protection in case of attack. Also, the vampires had shielded themselves from discovery. The Nine’s intel hadn’t revealed the location.
“Of course. Each home has direct access to headquarters.” The driver maneuvered through two more gates sporting armed guards and stopped the SUV before a cultured stone and brick main lodge. “We have offices, meeting rooms, a gym, and a private lab here.” Conn jumped out, extending a hand.
She accepted the help, sliding from the vehicle. The nearby ocean sent salt and brine to fill the air—heavier and somehow sweeter than the scent of her ocean at home. Nothing could’ve prevented the sigh that escaped her.
Conn shut the door and the driver drove off. “Do you want to talk about it?”
She needed time to think before they discussed their future. But the vampire wasn’t her only immediate concern. She bit her lip. “Anyone with half a brain knew the second the hundred years expired, you’d be trying to take me from Ireland.” Whether he truly wanted her or not, a Kayrs protected his mate. And she was beginning to hope that Conn did want her—a fact that delighted and scared the crap out of her.
“Yes.” His arm dropped around her shoulders, providing warmth and a new sense of security.
A sense far too tempting to sink right into with relief.
Even her mother had allowed her to leave the homeland with him. “Yet the council ordered me to your country ... with you ... and Daire let you take me from New York.”
Conn tugged her toward the solid oak door. “Yeah. I caught that, too.” His smile screamed sin. “I don’t suppose they thought to make it easy on me as a reward for following the treaty all these years?”
Her own smile felt raw. “The last thing the Nine wants to do is make it easy on you, Connlan.”
“I know. Well, I assume the reasoning was twofold. First, this is a clear sign the Nine isn’t going to withdraw from the Realm.”
She barely kept from shaking her head. Not true. This move might be the first strike in withdrawing from the Realm. “Are you sure?” The man should know by now she’d been raised in a political family and could see past the obvious.
“No. But I thought you might think so.”
Her hand on his arm stopped him from opening the door. He pivoted, giving her his full attention.
She lifted her gaze. “I’m not the naïve girl you mated, Conn.”
“I know.” One gentle knuckle ran down the side of her face. “I’ve seen you fight, sweetheart.”
Warmth filled her at the pride in his masculine voice. “You said the Nine’s reasoning might be twofold. What’s the second fold?”
“You’re the Seventh, Moira. They must want you protected.”
The door swung open and a little girl hurled herself at Conn. “Uncle Conn!”
He caught the rushing bundle, swinging the child around to smack loud kisses on her cheek. “I wondered if you’d be the welcoming committee, sweetheart.”
The five-year-old levered back, mahogany curls bobbing, and put both tiny hands against his cheeks. “I wanted to see you first before you got all mad.” Sparkling blue eyes turned their focus to Moira. “Hi, Aunt Mowra.”
What a stunning child. “Hi, Janie. It’s wonderful to finally meet you in person.” She’d been e-mailing and videoconferencing with her young niece for the last eight months. “Why is Conn going to get mad?” The little psychic owned the future.
The five-year-old smiled, showing a gap in her front teeth. “Not ’cause of you, Auntie. This time, anyways.”
The door opened all the way and six and a half feet of hard muscled male stepped into the sun. “Welcome home, Moira.” The king extended a dozen yellow and white calla lilies. Their sweet scent hung in the air. He’d tied his thick black hair at the nape, throwing the hard angles of his face into focus.
Pleasure warmed Moira even as a tickle of unease wound through her from the word
home
. She accepted the fragrant flowers, burying her nose before lifting up and forcing a smile. “Thanks, Dage.”
home
. She accepted the fragrant flowers, burying her nose before lifting up and forcing a smile. “Thanks, Dage.”
Conn tucked Janie against his side. “Why am I about to be angry?”
Dage lifted an eyebrow at his niece. “Someone been predicting the future?”
Janie giggled. “Things gotta happen the way they gotta happen.”
“Profound words, little one.” Dage gestured them inside a spacious gathering room fronted by floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing the churning gray Pacific Ocean. Couches and chairs sprawled in organized chaos around two pool tables and a massive brick fireplace, reminding Moira of Kell’s dining room. No table for eating, but a lot of area for playing.
“Everyone is off working right now, but we’ll have a family get-together later tonight.” Dage tugged Janie away from Conn, tossing her in the air before landing her next to Moira. “Show Moira the game room, Janie. Emma should be along to take Moira to the lab soon.” His eyes shot warm blue through the intense silver. “I, ah, should apologize now. My mate is rather, er, single-minded in her battle against Virus-27.”
Conn couldn’t help the chuckle rising in his throat. “That is the understatement of your reign, King.” He dropped a kiss on Moira’s smooth forehead. “Good luck, sweetheart. You’ll be donating some blood for the cause.” He rubbed his chin. Maybe he shouldn’t have taken any on the plane. Not that he regretted a second of their trip.
Moira frowned.
Janie took her hand with a happy hop. “You’re gonna love the new checker set Uncle Conn bought me. When he loses, he has to play tea party and wear an apron. He looks so good in the pink one.”
Moira laughed low and husky as Janie continued. “We have a whole room to play games, and there’s a television in there to watch movies. Oh, and you gotta see the new classroom my teacher Sarah set up. Sarah came home with Max ...” Her voice continued down the hall until they took a left turn.
Conn pivoted toward his brother. “Well?”
Dage smiled. “Let’s go down to the gym. You haven’t seen it yet.”
“I designed it.” Conn fought irritation and the need to punch his brother in the jaw. “Am I going to hit you?”
Dage shrugged, loping toward the stairwell and jogging down steps. “If you do, I’ll hit you back.”
Wouldn’t be the first time the two of them got into it. Last time Conn had had to break his own nose three times to fix it right. He followed Dage, fighting unease. He didn’t like being separated from his mate. A laughable fact considering they spent the first hundred years of their union on different continents.
Now she was right where he wanted her. A tickle at the back of his neck warned things weren’t so easy.
He followed his brother through a doorway leading to a room packed wall-to-wall with tumbling mats, adjacent to the gym. One of many in the community he’d designed. His ire rose at finding Jase and Talen waiting, sprawled on the floor with their backs against the wall.
Talen grinned. “Welcome home.” The second oldest and the strategic leader of the Realm, he nevertheless kept in close proximity to his pregnant mate, Cara. The fact that he was downstairs, away from Cara and their daughter Janie, didn’t bode well.
“What the hell’s going on?” Conn leaned a hand down and yanked Jase to his feet. “What happened to the training schedule?” He’d left Jase in charge of training their men while he’d gone after Moira.
“Nothing. The training is going well.” Jase’s lips tipped in a smart-ass grin, his maroon eyes remaining serious. An arctic breeze whipped through the room. The youngest of the brothers, Jase harnessed control of the elements in a manner none of them could explain. He scratched his chin. “Kane is in the middle of an experiment right now or he’d be down here to welcome his wayward brother home as well.”
Dage cleared his throat. “I’m getting married next month and all my brothers are standing up for me.”
Conn raised an eyebrow toward Talen. “Isn’t he supposed to ask us?”
Talen stood. “Sometimes he thinks he’s the leader.”
Dage settled his stance. “I wanted to get the brother stuff out of the way first, before I had to speak as the king. And
I am
the leader.”
I am
the leader.”
This was going to be bad. Conn settled his own stance. “You ready to do the king stuff now?”
“Yes.” Dage’s silver eyes narrowed. “The war with the demons has heated up. We need to take the front line.”
Conn’s shoulders relaxed. He’d been expecting the order. While he didn’t want to head to the trenches so soon after getting Moira home, he understood the need for him to go. More unease crawled up his back. He hadn’t had time to properly train for mind-war with the demons. “I understand. When do I go?”
“You don’t.” Dage’s words hung in the air. “I’m sending Jase.”
Other books
The Novel in the Viola by Natasha Solomons
Heaven and Hell by John Jakes
Calm Like Home by Clark, Kaisa
Better Nate Than Ever by Federle, Tim
Angus by Melissa Schroeder
White Ninja by Tiffiny Hall
Sweet Deception by Tara Bond
Snow by Madoc Roberts
The Secret Ingredient by Nina Harrington