Codename Spring (5 page)

“That’s why you hadn’t had sex since this thing began,” he mused, ridiculously pleased by all he’d learned. Despite the chaos surrounding her, Jocelyn was remarkably untainted by the Gathosian scourge.

Her gaze clouded and challenge crept into her voice as she said, “Now you know all my secrets. How did you end up hosting one of them? Without you to anchor her, Inwatta couldn’t function in this dimension.”

He wanted to defend himself, to explain how long he’d resisted and how much he’d suffered before he gave in. But the disdain in her expression held him silent. All his efforts hadn’t made a difference in the end. Just like all the others, he’d given in to their manipulation and become a corporeal pawn.

“It’s always the same,” he muttered. “Especially for the Bartonese. Our ability to regenerate makes us one of the few races that can tolerate their energy. At times they inhabit us completely, take full control of our bodies so they can participate in the physical world. More often they filter their energy through us so they can communicate and influence other species. Inwatta does this with my guards. If she tried to contact them directly, her energy would kill them in a matter of minutes.”

“So once your heart stops beating, she’ll be cut off from her guards.”

“Exactly.”

She paused for a moment, her expression distant and thoughtful. “Are all the anchors Bartonese?”

“I don’t know. There are sixteen sector supervisors. I only know the identities of eight of their anchors.”

“How many of them are Bartonese?”

Tangling his fingers in the back of her hair, he slowly drew her head back. “Are you interrogating me?”

“No. I just—”

“It’s your responsibility to learn as much as you can while you’re on assignment.” He let the words ring through his brain, a warning and a reminder.

She stared up at him, eyes narrowed and defiant. “Either kiss me or let go. Hair pulling is for cowards and little girls.”

His fingers released as if she’d burned him. “You think I’m a coward?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“The Gathosians dig until they find your weakness, then they exploit it until you break. Sometimes it takes weeks, other times decades, but the end result is always the same. They get what they want and you become their slave.”

“What was your weakness?”

“Women.” He’d expected the question and her reaction to his answer was just as predictable. She made a disgusted noise and tried to pull away. “I couldn’t stand watching as they were tortured.”

She stopped struggling and her expression softened. “I’m sorry.” A crack formed in her shield. Regret wiggled through the opening and slipped into his mind. “I can’t even imagine how horrible that must have been.”

Images rushed across the link, a flashflood of her memories. She didn’t have to imagine. She knew exactly how it felt to watch others suffer. Angered that Jocelyn had successfully bargained with their captain, the hunters had forced her to watch as they took turns raping her friends. Her pleas had been as useless as their screams. And worse than her anger or helplessness was the guilt she felt for choosing to spare herself a similar fate.

She touched his shoulder, releasing him from the past. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I’m not upset. It’s getting really hard to control the meld. We’re about out of time.”

“What happens when we wake?”

“You go back to being Spring, and I’m a nameless customer only interested in your fuckable body.”

Hurt flashed in her eyes as she turned her face away. “I thought you weren’t upset.”

He sighed. She hadn’t deserved the cheap shot but he was unwilling to soften his position. She was his ticket to freedom and he was her mission, a means to an end. He could not let himself forget what was really going on here. “If our attitudes suddenly change, Inwatta will know something happened. I’m going to send you home in the morning, but not utilizing an ambassador while she’s here will seem highly suspicious.”

“I understand.” She licked her lips and lowered her lashes, shading her eyes. “When you summon me again should I be ready…”

“To kill me?” The challenge sounded cold and bleak.

“Yes.”

He nodded. “I’ll figure out what to tell Inwatta. She won’t be happy when she learns I let you go.”

“Will I be able to just walk out of here? What if the guards try to stop me?”

She was stalling and his need to reassure her grew with each uncertain question. None of this was her fault any more than it was his. “Don’t you have a backup plan, some sort of failsafe?”

“I’d rather not use it.” She fiddled with the end of her hair, eyes still downcast.

Why was she being so difficult? The Resistance couldn’t use his information if she had no way to bring it to them. “Why not?” She looked up and he tensed. Longing smoldered in her gaze, yet their link remained calm, almost dormant. Was she feigning desire, or was her shield still engaged?

“My failsafe is similar to your escape plan. I don’t want to cast suspicion on your death.”

He rubbed his eyebrows, trying to ease the tension gathering behind his eyes. “Let’s not overthink this. We’ll deal with each problem when and if it arises.”

“All right. How will you give me the formula?”

Obviously her number one priority. He tried not to let his disappointment show. “When we return your possessions I’ll slip a datastrip in with your toys.”

“Okay.” She wiggled, legs flexing against his back. “When you summon me again, I’ll be ready for…phase two of this operation.”

He chuckled, pleased by her ambiguous phrasing. “You can’t bring yourself to say it, can you? You’re going to kill me, Jocelyn. You better get used to the idea.”

She responded with a stiff nod and looked away again. Her defenses slipped and for just a moment, he glimpsed the tempest raging behind her emotional reserve. Harming someone, anyone, ran against her basic nature. But the conflict ran deeper than abandoning the Hippocratic Oath. She cared for him, so much so that she felt threatened by the attraction.

Before he could challenge her attempt at indifference, she asked, “Can you provide what I’ll need to stop your heart? I suspect Inwatta will treat me to the same delightful routine when I return.”

“I’m sure you’re right. And yes, I have everything you’ll need.”

With her shield firmly in place, she told him, “Then you have yourself a deal.”

Frustrated and oddly disappointed, he resorted to a nod. This was the outcome he’d been hoping for, so why wasn’t he pleased? He didn’t want to examine his feelings, so he released his hold on the dream and surrendered to the metaphysical rush. Jocelyn’s emotions flowed with, around and through him, heightening the thrill. She was still afraid and confused, but she wanted him, needed him with an intensity that matched his desire for her.

Sensations returned in layers. Her scent filled his nose then the heat of her body nestled against his. He swept her beneath him as he opened his eyes. Their gazes locked and he smiled, realizing his cock was buried inside her snug pussy. Had he been there the entire time or had their bodies mirrored their movements on the metaphysical plane? He gave himself a mental shake. He had far bigger problems than his cock. Without the extra layer of protection provided by the dream realm, there was no way to be sure Inwatta couldn’t intercept their thoughts.

He paused, enjoying the simple pleasure of being inside Jocelyn. She sprawled beneath him, arms raised above her head, eyes warm and welcoming. Not allowing her beauty to distract him, he scanned the room, carefully checking for Gathosian energy. He sensed nothing, no hint of Inwatta or any of the other Gathosians. This didn’t mean he could trust Inwatta. It simply meant she hadn’t broken her word—yet.

“Welcome back, Spring.” He emphasized the name, reminding Jocelyn of the role she needed to play. “Now that you know I won’t hurt you, I want you on your knees, in restraints, so I can fuck that luscious mouth.”

She blinked then shivered. “Whatever you say, Sir. I’m yours to command.”

The hours flowed by in a haze of sexual indulgence and frustration. Jocelyn obeyed without hesitation as their bodies found fulfillment again and again. She responded with unabashed enthusiasm and a hunger equal to his.

Through it all, Evard sensed little from her emotionally and it aggravated the hell out of him. He shouldn’t care what she was thinking or feeling. All that mattered was whether or not she could convince the Resistance to rescue him.

It was nearly dawn and he had her bent over the side of the bed. His cock was buried deep in her cunt and his well-lubed finger slid in and out of her tight pink ass. “Will I be your first?”

She jerked her head around and looked over her shoulder, panic clear in her eyes. And still her emotions remained out of reach. “I’d rather wait until I’ve been properly prepared for you.”

A twinge of fear rippled across their link. He carefully inserted a second finger as he gently probed her mind. “All you had to say was yes.” With a slow, steady motion he fingered her back passage, distracting her with new sensations while he pushed against the metaphysical barrier.

Unable to suppress his curiosity, he risked a question.
Is this shield intentional? Can you consciously control it?
He sent the thought carefully, directing it down the center of their private connection.

What shield?
She sounded genuinely confused.

Her inner muscles clenched, massaging his cock and refocusing his attention on the physical. “I can feel how tight you are.” He exhaled in an unsteady rush. “It will take some work to make you ready for me.”

“Are you going to—”

“I’ll wait to claim you, and in return you’ll wear a butt plug every night until I decide you’re ready for my cock.” He poured desire across their bond, making her squirm and moan. His fingers moved in and out with ruthless persistence, determined to drive her beyond caution or control.

He reached around her hip and slipped his hand between her thighs. He traced her folds, loving how tightly she stretched to take him. Cream wet his fingertips, easing his way to her clit. Then he matched each thrust of his fingers with a teasing flick.

She tossed her head and panted. Her body responded, giving him every indication that she was finding pleasure in his touch, but it wasn’t enough for him. A Bartonese male needed to feel his mate’s… Jocelyn was not his mate! Their bond was necessary, but temporary. He would dislodge the connection long before it became permanent.

Forcing aside the distractions, he moved his hands to her hips and pulled back his hips. With only the head of his cock inside her, he let the tension build. She pushed back, trying to take him deeper. He held her firmly, not yet ready for it to end.

Stop shutting me out.
He tried to keep his tone soft and coaxing, but possessive demand threatened his composure.
Lower your shields.

I don’t know how!

As infuriating as it was, he believed her. The shields had been formed by instinct and the determination to survive. He wasn’t sure what it would take to dismantle them and he had no justifiable reason to try.

He drove his cock deep into her pussy, pulled back then thrust again. She braced against the bed, providing resistance for each firm stroke. Hot and slick and sweetly submissive, she was everything he’d asked for, except open. He wanted to touch her mind as deeply as he touched her body. This felt hollow, empty. Even knowing she wasn’t blocking him intentionally, this felt wrong.

She came with a strangled cry, her pussy rhythmically squeezing his shaft. For just an instant he felt her pleasure, sensed the intensity of her being and groaned. He absorbed the heat with bittersweet urgency, not knowing if he’d ever feel her true self again.

His senses snapped to attention and he forced himself not to react. Inwatta wasn’t visible, but she was here, lurking somewhere in the room. He pulled out of Jocelyn, helped her turn over then drew her to her feet.

“You did very well. Now go take a shower and I’ll arrange for a transport.” He used a grim, autocratic tone that brooked no argument.

Her eyebrows scrunched for a second, then she nodded and headed for the bathroom.

A transport to where? Our deal is not complete
, Inwatta blared in his mind, not bothering to become visible.

“She has abilities I didn’t anticipate.”

Did she swallow you whole or take it up the ass?

He ignored the jibe. Jealousy drove her reactions and she revealed more than she realized. If she didn’t know the answers, then she’d only been watching for the last few seconds. “Spring has mental shields I can’t penetrate, which means she might be too difficult to control for what you have in mind.”

Fury rolled across the room, rocking him back onto his heels.
I will not be denied! I gave you what you wanted. I left you alone so you could fuck her any way you wanted.

“I’m not reneging on our deal. I just need a little more time.”

You’re stalling! You’re always stalling.

“Not this time. If I can earn her trust, prove that we mean her no harm, then she will allow you to use her body without resisting.” Hopefully if Inwatta scanned Jocelyn’s mind she’d find the same instinctive shield he’d been sensing off and on all night.