Codename Spring (6 page)

And if she doesn’t resist, it will take less energy to maintain the link?

“If she participates willingly there will be no distractions from your pleasure.” It sounded so incredibly shallow, at least to one born into a corporeal world.

Then why are you sending her away?

“I don’t want her to realize how much I want her. That would give her too much power.”

Ah.
Her presence surged into his mind and he focused energy toward the newly formed link, saturating the connection with layer upon layer of concealment.

“If you’ll allow it, I’d like to make sure Spring is unavailable to anyone else, but I won’t tell her I’ve reserved the time.” He shrugged with an indifference he didn’t feel. This was the most important performance of his life. Now that he knew the Resistance was willing to attempt his rescue, he needed to strengthen their motivation for success. “I figured I’d start on the biological trials while I make darling Spring squirm with anticipation.”

It will seem like no one else wants her so she’ll be desperate and ready to please by the time she receives your summons.
Inwatta chuckled.
I’m beginning to see the appeal of these games.

Chapter Five

Malik Wanatee strode down the subterranean corridor, the snap of his boot heels ringing off the unadorned walls. Few knew how to find the Hub, but those who did required no signs or directional markers. He paused in front of a nondescript door and waited as multiple beams scanned him from head to toe. The room into which he stepped appeared to be an abandoned office. Even if some curious human forced their way past the door, they would find nothing of interest here.

“You summoned me.” He stood in the middle of the empty room, shoulders squared, arms loose at his sides. Usually it took only a moment for one of the Gathosians to respond, but there had been times when they kept him waiting for hours with no apology or explanation.

After a short pause the room came alive, walls undulating with a hypnotic glow. He braced himself for the nauseating rush and momentary disorientation. His vision blurred and the floor dissolved, leaving him suspended somewhere between matter and energy.

You will proceed to sector three and assess Inwatta.

They frequently used different mental voices, most likely to convince him their numbers were not so drastically depleted as they were, but Malik could sense subtle variations in their energy patterns. This was their leader, or at least the Gathosian to which the others most often deferred.

“Please clarify. What are the parameters for this assessment?” The Gathosians resented questions, but failure generally resulted in death. So he chose the lesser of two evils.

Productivity in sector three has steadily decreased over the past quarter. Inwatta claims the mines are depleted. We are not convinced. There have been reports of erratic behavior. We need an objective overview of her performance.

One of their rising stars was misbehaving? Now this was interesting. Inwatta, though the most recent addition to the Gathosian leadership, had a reputation for ruthlessness and efficiency.

“Understood. Is there anything else I need to know?”

Providing you with more information might taint your assessment. Observe, interact, and report. The assignment is simple. If further action needs to be taken you will be informed.

The glow faded and the room rematerialized around him, abruptly ending the conversation. He shook his head, dispelling the lingering vertigo, then squared his shoulders and left the Hub.

* * * * *

You did very well. Now go take a shower and I’ll arrange for a transport.
Evard’s hurtful words haunted Jocelyn all the way back to the embassy. Rather than return her bag of sex toys, he’d slipped the datastrip into her pocket, but she still considered her mission a success.

Even armed with the succubus, Jocelyn had known having sex with her target was a possibility. It had been so damn long since she’d given in to her carnal urges, she couldn’t regret the pleasure they’d shared. The mental bond, however, confused and frightened her. Never before had anyone moved through her mind or shared her feelings. It felt strange and intimate in a way that transcended even their physical joining. She sensed him still, a lingering presence, unobtrusive, yet…there.

Autumn was waiting for an update. Still, reviewing the events was the last thing Jocelyn wanted. The entire episode had been so unsettling. Even if she decided to try to avoid her boss until her feelings were more focused, a quick stop at the embassy was necessary. She needed to shed her Spring persona and return to the clinic as Jocelyn Grier.

Housed in an abandoned art museum just off The Mall in Washington, D.C., the central embassy was stately and elegant, not at all what Jocelyn had expected the first time she’d seen it. Before she could ask him not to, the pilot commed ahead and alerted Autumn of Jocelyn’s return. So much for postponing the inevitable. A bleary-eyed doorman admitted Jocelyn with a wan smile and directed her to Autumn’s office.

The madam sat behind her desk, wearing a royal-blue dressing gown. Her long auburn hair was loose and shiny about her shoulders. Her bloodshot eyes confirmed that Jocelyn’s unexpected return had summoned her from her bed, where she’d likely spent some portion of the night with General Noirte.

“You weren’t scheduled to return until Wednesday,” Autumn muttered as Jocelyn slipped into one of the chairs in front of her desk. “And why are you dressed like a sanitation worker?”

The gray uniform Evard had given her was anything but attractive. “They didn’t just scan me. They confiscated everything.”

Autumn’s gaze dropped to Jocelyn’s throat. “Including the succubus?” She scooted to the edge of her seat, concern chasing away the shadows from her eyes. “Are you all right? Why didn’t you push the panic button? I didn’t expect you to complete the mission under these circumstances.”

Her first concern had been the well-being of her agent, not the outcome of the mission. Jocelyn felt a renewed surge of determination that confirmed her faith in Autumn. “I’m fine and nothing was forced on me. I made a conscious decision to continue. I felt the mission was too important to abort.”

After searching Jocelyn’s gaze for a long moment, Autumn nodded. “What were you able to learn?”

“My client was definitely Evard Keenan and he has agreed to barter with us.”

“Barter? What do we have that he needs?”

“Freedom.” The word sounded sweet and fantastical. They were closer to the elusive concept than Evard but they were still Gathosian slaves.

“We don’t have the resources to rescue him.” Autumn wasn’t being pessimistic. Jocelyn understood it was a statement of fact. “If it weren’t for Inwatta’s bizarre fascination with physical sensations, it’s likely we never would have located Evard. Ra’jen has explored every possibility. Within the current context a rescue is impossible.”

Jocelyn couldn’t help but smile. “Evard thought of a scenario I doubt General Noirte considered.”

“Explain.”

She looked around the elegant office as tension gathered in her belly. “Are you sure this office is secure?”

“Ra’jen is more comfortable speaking openly here than at his own headquarters.”

“All right. This is the plan. I’ll stop Evard’s heart, which will sever his link with Inwatta. She’ll either be drawn back to her dimension or she’ll be left without the ability to communicate with any humanoid until she finds another anchor.”

“I don’t understand. Why would severing her link with Evard make her unable to communicate?”

“I thought the ‘anchor’ simply allowed each Gathosian to remain in this dimension for a longer period of time. Apparently the anchor’s role is more complicated. Gathosian energy is toxic to most humanoid species. Without the Bartonese to filter their energy, the Gathosians can’t even communicate with their guards.”

“So you stop Evard’s heart and rush him to the medical center,” Autumn mused. “We revive him and help him disappear. Without her link to her pet, Inwatta won’t be able to sense his location or his resurrection.”

“That’s the idea.”

“And in return he’s willing to formulate an antidote for the Gathosian compound?”

Jocelyn pulled the datastrip out of her pocket and held it up. “According to Evard, the antidote is already formulated.”

“He gave you the formula before we rescued him? That wasn’t very smart.”

Jocelyn smiled at the sad truth. “Ordinarily I’d agree. He told me two of the components don’t exist on Earth. They have to be synthesized.”

“And only he knows enough about alien chemistry to make these mysterious components?”

“Exactly. He’ll produce the actual antidote as soon as we free him from Inwatta’s clutches.” She handed the strip to Autumn. “Do you know someone who can analyze the data and see if it’s legit?”

“I don’t but I’m sure Ra’jen does. I’ll let you know what he finds out.” She closed her fingers around the datastrip and released a sigh. “When will you see Evard again?”

“I don’t know exactly. Hopefully he’ll give me a day or two to set everything in motion.”

* * * * *

An explosion at one of the refineries kept Jocelyn unusually busy for the next three days. Generally patients were assessed and prioritized according to their value to the Gathosians long before she saw them. More than one disaster area had been sealed before any effort was made to retrieve survivors. Workers were no more important to the Gathosians than the machinery they operated, so what made these men so valuable?

The question lingered in the back of Jocelyn’s mind, but Protectorate guards supervised every move she made and every word she uttered as she tended the wounded.

When she retreated to the courtyard for a quick dinner on the third night, Saroji finally joined her.

“Hey there, stranger,” Jocelyn said with a weary smile. “Have you been avoiding me?”

“Hardly.” Saroji pulled a frequency jammer from her pocket and showed it to Jocelyn. “I was beginning to think Ra’jen would have to arrest you just so I could find out how things went the other night.”

Heat spread across Jocelyn’s cheeks and she paused to take a bite of her sandwich. The other night had easily been the most erotic experience of her life. And the most conflicting. Evard’s image lingered in the back of her mind, making her ache for more of his kisses, his knowing caresses and the consuming fire that spread through her as their bodies entwined.

“I debriefed with Autumn. Didn’t she tell Ra’jen what happened?”

“And you think my brother tells me anything?” Saroji laughed, tossing back her long blonde hair. “He doesn’t intentionally keep things from me. He’s just a little busy juggling his double life.”

“No doubt.”

“So?” Saroji touched Jocelyn’s arm, drawing her gaze. “How was your first solo mission?”

Jocelyn set down the sandwich and wiped her mouth. They’d been friends too long for Jocelyn to hide her twisted emotions, but she wasn’t sure how much she was ready to share. “Did you know who Evard was when you put his image in my mind?”

“Not at first, but after Autumn explained what she needed, I had a pretty good idea who was waiting for you at the Pentagon.” Mischief sparkled in Saroji’s eyes, then her smile faltered and worry creased her brow. “Did the visions make it easier? I know you weren’t able to use the succubus during your mission.”

“I would have been attracted to him regardless. Evard is not your average mad scientist. But the visions helped me feel less self-conscious.” What a galactic understatement. She’d shed her inhibitions and abandoned herself to hours of hedonistic sex. He’d fucked her mouth while she was in restraints then soundly spanked her bottom for enjoying it. She’d obediently brought herself to orgasm while he watched then held herself open so he could devour the cream she’d created. He’d used his fingers and his tongue with a ruthless tenderness that left her breathless and trembling. And just when she thought he was sated, he’d bent her over the side of the bed and taken her from behind. Her wicked body had even been ready to explore the thrilling temptation of anal sex, a concept that had never appealed to her before.

Setting aside her tray, Jocelyn stubbornly ignored the sexual images flitting through her mind and focused on her friend. “Do you know if they’ve determined the validity of the formula Evard gave me?” That had been the purpose of her mission, not her sexual awakening.

“According to Autumn, it works in theory but no human chemist could create it.”

“Which is exactly what Evard told me.”

Saroji sat next to Jocelyn and lowered her voice. “The explosion didn’t happen in a refinery, it happened in a lab. Ra’jen thinks Evard tried to move forward with the formula and either the Gathosians caught him at it or something went horribly wrong.”

“That’s why they’re allowing us to work on the survivors. They’re not common miners.”

“And they need to be interrogated,” Saroji stressed. “Dead people can’t explain what they were brewing. They’re all being transferred to a rehabilitation unit in sector nine, whether they need rehabilitation or not.”

“Are you sure? I discharged three patients yesterday. All three had minor burns and a few contusions.”

“They were picked up in the shuttle lot and taken to sector nine. Ra’jen confirmed it.”

“Damn. I need to speak with Evard, find out why he hasn’t summoned me.” She combed her hair back from her face, agitated and lonely.

“Think about him as you fall asleep tonight,” Saroji suggested with a knowing smile. “Even without the succubus to assist you, a lot can be accomplished through dreams.”

* * * * *

Following Saroji’s advice, Jocelyn allowed Evard’s image to form within her mind as she waited for sleep to claim her. She was exhausted. The past few days had been frustrating and strange. The manic pace in the clinic had helped keep the memories at bay but as soon as her body stilled her mind switched into hyperdrive, tormenting her with longings and inappropriate sensations.

She closed her eyes and relaxed, inhaling deeply as Evard’s image gradually appeared. Instinct told her to fight, to resist the intrusion and protect herself as she had always done.
Be still, be quiet, don’t think, don’t feel!
The familiar warning rang through her mind.