15 Targeted (13 page)

A scent did come to her nose but it clearly wasn’t hers. Warm and enticing, it smelled like leather and spice and coffee and smoke. Not cigarette smoke, though—it was the scent of a campfire at night out under the clear, icy sky when the stars look as bright as stolen diamonds.

It was a dark, dangerous scent—more of a warning than an invitation and yet it drew her. Drew her deeply to its source.

A male,
whispered the voice of the
other
, just as it had so many years ago.
A male—we need a male.

Yes. Emily turned to the big Kindred, feeling the heated waves wash over her, the liquid warmth between her thighs. Her eyes were burning and her nipples were suddenly tight with desire.

“Tragar?” she murmured.

“Yes?” He spared her a quick glance and then his eyes widened. “
Khalla,
your eyes—remember I told you to stay calm.”

“I’m calm.” Emily leaned towards him and inhaled deeply, pulling in breaths of his dark, dangerous scent. “You asked me if I had any dreams,” she murmured, looking up at him. “Well, I think I had a dream about
you
. I’m only remembering it just now but I think I saw you in the mirror—long black hair…golden eyes.”

“You cannot have dreamed of me,” he protested, frowning. “That would mean—” he stopped abruptly.

“It would mean what?” Emily leaned closer to him, deliberately invading his space. She never would have done such a thing normally but the
other
was coming forward, urging her, riding her, filling her with lust and every breath of his warm, masculine scent only fed the fire burning inside her.

Her proximity seemed to disturb him for he turned his gaze back to the viewscreen at the front of the shuttle and stared fixedly ahead at the sleek silver spaceship they were fast approaching.

“Never mind. It means nothing.”

“Seems to mean
something.”
She slid one hand up his thigh, clad in tight black leather trousers, and felt his muscles go rock hard under her touch. Somewhere inside herself, Emily wondered where she had gotten the nerve to do such a thing—it wasn’t like her at all to come on to a complete stranger like this. But somehow the impulse was too strong to deny. She slid her hand higher, enjoying the feel of his big, muscular body.

“Don’t,” he growled, taking her hand and putting it firmly back in her own lap. “You must not. Your scent makes being in close proximity difficult enough as it is.”

“You smell pretty good yourself,” Emily purred, leaning close to him again and taking a deep breath. “
Damn
good.”

He gave a sort of frustrated growl and she saw a muscle in the side of his jaw clench as though he was holding himself back.

“You must stop. This kind of…of stress will cause you to move from
Kalor
to
Scintil.
It is dangerous…wrong.”

“What’s so wrong about it?” They were docking with the big silver ship now but she barely noticed the vibration as metal kissed metal. The
other
was in full control of her now, just as she had been that fateful night in the bar with Grayson. It was urging her onward, telling her she wanted this…needed this…

“We’ve arrived.” The big Kindred sounded immensely relieved as he got up quickly and walked to the back of the shuttle. An airlock was already irising open to show the clean, metal and glass utilitarian interior of his ship.

Emily rose and followed him, her fingers itching to touch his broad back and shoulders, not to mention the tight, muscular ass she saw working beneath his leather flight trousers.

“The air inside the shuttle is close and not very well filtered,” he said, stepping up to get from the shuttle to the ship. He turned and offered a hand to Emily. “You should feel better here—there is much more efficient filtration so scents are not so…strong. So distracting.”

“Mm-hmm.” Her palm tingled again as they touched and she felt the waves of heat intensifying as his big hand engulfed hers. He pulled her up and into the ship but somehow the momentum carried her forward and she wound up in his arms which was exactly where the
other
wanted them to be.

Emily stood on tiptoes to wind her fingers through his long black hair. She could feel his hard chest pressed against her breasts and further down, something else that was long and hard and hot was branding her thigh. Hmm, so she wasn’t the only one feeling this.

“Stop!” The Kindred’s low growl carried a depth of warning Emily knew she shouldn’t ignore. But the
other
didn’t give a damn about that—she wanted the huge, hard male in front of them. Wanted the dark stranger who would have scared Emily to death if she hadn’t had the
other
inside her, urging her on.
“Stop,”
he growled again, more urgently.

“Don’t want to stop.” Emily reached even higher, dragging his head down, her fingers tangled in his hair which smelled like leather and smoke and warm, aroused male. She pressed her mouth to his and felt a low growl vibrate through him as she licked delicately along the seam of his sensual lips.

Somewhere deep inside the real Emily was screaming that this was wrong—was begging to know what was going on, what she was doing for heaven’s sake. But the touch of his big body and the taste of his lips—salt and wild, dark spice—were like a drug that drove the
other
higher, made her want more and even more…

And for a moment it seemed he would give her more. Taking her in his arms, he pulled her close, molding her to him and deepening the kiss, opening his lips and sucking her tongue into his mouth, tasting her with abandon.

Emily felt herself melting against him. Right…oh God, this felt so
right.
It was like water in the desert—like food to a starving man. Like the answer she’d been seeking to a question she hadn’t even known she was asking all her life.

Then, suddenly, he pulled away, breaking the kiss.

“Please,” Emily whispered, standing on tiptoes, trying to get to him again. She had to have more…
more.
The
other
demanded it.

“No.” He cupped her face in his big hands and pulled away, studying her closely. “Your eyes are pure gold. Your
Kit’tara
is close.”

“Don’t want to talk about that. I just want
more.”
Emily pressed close to him but he held her at a distance.

“
Khalla,
this is dangerous,” he rumbled, eyeing her earnestly. “You must not allow yourself to be overcome or the
Tenrah
will be greatly accelerated and that must not happen—not now.”

“It doesn’t feel dangerous—feels wonderful.” Emily rubbed against him like a cat, shamelessly begging for what she needed—for what the
other
told her they had to have.

“It…feels good to me too. But we must not give in to temptation. I am
Verrak—
fallen from the ways of our people. I do not deserve to service a
Khalla
and besides to service you now would be dangerous
.
We must get you to Rageron where you can have your pick of suitable males.”

“I pick
you,”
Emily purred, pressing closer. Reaching between them, she cupped the long, hard ridge of flesh between his legs. “Please, Tragar, take me.
Fuck me.”

He drew in a deep breath, as though trying to regain control, and pulled her hand away.

“No! You must not speak so—you must not act so.” He shook his head. “This isn’t right or safe.”

“Why should I care about right or safe?” Emily rubbed against him again. God, she was acting so
shameless.
Somewhere buried deep inside the real Emily was mortified at the way she was behaving. Yet, with the
other
riding her, she seemed helpless to stop.

“Very well. You leave me no choice.”

Tragar took her by the hand and turned, leading her down a long metal corridor.

Emily followed without complaint. All she could think of was his mouth on hers and the exotic dark-spice taste of his lips. All she could do was what the
other
demanded and give herself completely.

It didn’t occur to her that this idea would have been repugnant to her just a few minutes before. She’d had no sexual encounters at all after what Grayson had done to her and hadn’t wanted any either. But for some reason, she was willing and eager to do anything and everything with the big Kindred. She was ready to throw away any caution she might have felt if only he would promise to take her to his bed and make her his—
completely
his. Her entire body ached for him—longed to be filled with the thick, throbbing shaft she’d touched so briefly earlier.

It was as though he’d read her mind. When they got to the end of the corridor, he pressed a button on the wall and a door slid open to reveal what was clearly a bedroom.

Emily had a blurred impression of a warm red carpet and a red and gold bedspread that matched on the large, broad bed which dominated one end of the room. There was a small fireplace with a fire blazing at the other end, with some kind of couch in front of it, but she had eyes only for the bed.

Yes,
whispered the
other
in her head.
Yes, finally we’ll get what we need from a male who can give it to us. A male who is
right.
Who knows what we need and can fulfill our every desire. Finally!

Tragar went to sit on the end of the bed and Emily followed him eagerly, coming to stand between his knees. Though he was sitting and she was standing their height difference meant she was still looking him in the eyes.

“
Khalla,”
he said softly. “Emily, you are driving yourself into a very dangerous situation. I can give you one more chance to calm down. If you don’t, I’ll be forced to do as my training dictates.”

“Ooo.” Emily smiled and ran one finger teasingly over his high cheekbone. “And what exactly does it
dictate
you should do to me?”

“You won’t like it,” he said shortly, capturing her hand and putting it firmly back by her side. “Will you try to calm down and stop this or not?”

Emily felt naughty laughter bubble up in her throat—the
other
was amused by this turn of events.

“I choose…
not,”
she said, reaching for him again. “I think I want to keep being bad. It’s
fun.”

“You might think differently after this.”

Quick as lightning, the big Kindred grabbed her by the wrist and twisted her around. Then he bent her over one leather-clad knee and before Emily knew it she was face down with her bottom high in the air.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Some of the naughty pleasure seemed to leave her and she looked around, trying to catch his golden eyes and find out what he was planning. “What are you—”