Harbinger (19 page)

He released her hands and grasped her ass, lifting her hips off the mattress. His physical demands were staggering, but they were nothing compared to the emotions bombarding her mind. He was desperate to claim her, yet determined to wait until she was just as eager for a true joining.

Feeling how badly he wanted to mate with her made her feel guilty for denying him. Everything he did felt incredibly right, yet life had taught her some brutal lessons. She wanted to believe that Danvier was as noble as he seemed. But still, she couldn’t let go of the past. Wanting him this badly would only make his betrayal even more devastating.

Suddenly, he grasped her wrists and pulled her arms above her head. “Look at me.”

She dragged her gaze back to his face.

“Who am I?” He sounded angry, yet she sensed only burning desire.

“Danvier.” She forced away the past and every other distraction, focusing entirely on the man arching over her.

“Stay with me.” He moved in and out. “Think only of me.”

She kept her eyes open and savored each burst of sensation launched by his forceful drives. He was even more demanding than she’d imagined, more primal. His emotionless mask was gone. This was the true Danvier. The Danvier he never allowed others to see. But he revealed his true self to her, trusted her with his raw intensity.

Little by little she let her inhibitions slip away. He would force nothing on her, expect nothing from her that she wasn’t ready to surrender. There was a certain kind of freedom in his immense control. She was safe with him. Regardless of how badly he wanted her, she would always come first.

A naughty smile parted her lips as she realized the literal truth in that thought. He would hold back his release until he knew she’d found hers. With that thought in mind, she shifted her hips to a slightly different angle, increasing the friction of his shaft against her clit.

He must have realized what she needed because he shifted her wrists into one hand and slipped the other between their bodies. She wasn’t struggling, but being pinned to the bed rekindled her dark fantasy. She was his captive, helpless against his skillful seduction and her own treacherous body.

His thumb found her clit and forced her arousal higher with slow, firm circles. “Come for me.” He paired each thrust of his hips with a tantalizing caress.

Her senses caught fire, burning away rational thought. She arched and twisted, lost in the gathering intensity.

“Now,” he growled the order against her parted lips and her body instinctively obeyed.

She cried out, arching hard as her core convulsed around him. Surge after surge of pleasure burst over her body and rushed across their link. Reality shattered for a moment and there was only sensation, only him. Only
them
.

He buried himself deep inside her and shuddered out his own release. His pleasure triggered blissful aftershocks as it saturated her sluggish mind.

For a long time they floated in surreal tranquility. He used his last bit of strength to roll them to their sides, somehow managing to stay inside her. Then they clung to each other, silently soaking in the rare moment of contentment.

This is what it will be like every night if you just accept reality.

The thought made her tense, especially when she realized the inner voice had been hers not his.

He chuckled.
I wholeheartedly agree
. He found her mouth and kissed her, his tongue gently teasing.
But you’re welcome to keep resisting. Convincing you feels so damn good.

Fighting back a smug smile, Milanni stepped in front of the door to Fyran’s quarters and waited for the computer to announce her. She’d spent one miserable night in the cargo bay, surrounded by resentful space pets, wondering how long it would take for Fyran to miss her. A mere twenty-five hours passed and already she was summoned to attend him. Standing up for the human females had been a massive gamble. She had no real authority. Everything she had could be taken away in an instant if Fyran lost interest in her. Yet here she stood at Fyran’s request, so her hold over the commander must be strong enough to mitigate the risk.

The door parted and she stepped into the spacious cabin, a friendly smile plastered on her face. Fyran sat in the dining area halfway through a massive breakfast. He motioned her toward him, his mouth full of food. After an awkward pause, she pulled out the chair across from him and sat.

“How are things going with your pet project?” The play on words made him smile.

Despite the food heaped on his plate and the heated pot of
civata
brew off to one side, he offered her nothing. “The guards you assigned to help me have been wonderfully cooperative.” She had to promise them their choice of females whenever they liked, but that was to be expected. “We used holo-partitions to create some semblance of privacy. They don’t dampen sound, but that’s probably for the better until the men realize we’re serious about the rules. I’ve established a rotation and the crew will be able to start signing up for time slots this afternoon.”

“Good.” He paused for a long sip of
civata
brew, making her mouth water. They’d shared many meals since he became her protector. Why was he being such a jerk? “I want to send one of the pets on a mission. Which one is most likely to do everything she’s told without question and keep her mouth shut while she does it?”

Milanni kept her hands under the table, so he couldn’t see how tightly they were clenched. He’d summoned her here as madam, not as his personal pet. “What sort of mission?”

He wiped his mouth then pushed his plate aside. “According to rumors on the
Intrepid
, the research team has finalized a transformation formula that works on full-blooded humans. I will get my hands on that formula.”

The
Intrepid
was the hospital ship currently docked at Lunar Nine. They’d started with human/Rodyte hybrid females, which greatly limited the available test subjects. If what he said was true and they could now transform full human females, the implication was staggering. “What is the source of the rumors? This could be a trap designed to draw us out of hiding.”

“Unlikely.” He waved away her concern and pushed back from the table. “I have a man aboard the
Intrepid
, but he’s been unable to get anywhere near the formula. The labs are on a high security deck and his clearance doesn’t allow him on that level.”

She’d wondered what kept Fyran from leaving this remote star system. The risk of discovery was minimal as long as they stayed out of sensor range of the battle born ships, but so were the opportunities to pillage. And pirates needed to pillage. Maybe Fyran didn’t think of himself as a pirate. Then why had he stolen such a valuable ship? Well, he hadn’t set out to steal the
Relentless
. Akim, the original commander, had been captured by the battle born and Fyran had escaped to safety with the ship. Some would call that desertion rather than aggression. It all depended on one’s perspective.

Shaking away the distracting thoughts, she ignored the rumble in her belly. If Fyran was still obsessed with freeing his latent magic, at least it explained why he was still in the Milky Way. “How does a human female fit into your plan to steal this formula?”

“She’ll stowaway aboard the
Intrepid
and my man will find her. The infirmary is on the same deck as the laboratories, so he’ll have no choice but to break protocol and take her there.”

“Why will she need the infirmary? I would think a stowaway would be taken to the detention area.”

“Oh, we’ll make it obvious that she needs the infirmary.” A ruthless smile curved his lips, making his eyes seem vacant and cold.

She shivered. The changes in Fyran over the past few days had been fast and dramatic. The power of command had drawn out something dark and frightening in her once reserved lover. Lover? They weren’t lovers. He used her body in exchange for protection. She couldn’t allow herself to forget her true situation. She was a sex slave, just like her girls.

“Wouldn’t it be easier for your man to fake an injury or illness and go to the infirmary himself?”

Fyran shook his head. “The patients are continually monitored. The female will also act as a distraction.”

“Then you don’t expect the human to actually steal the formula, just get your operative onto the secure deck?” He tended to irritate quickly when she started asking questions, but that was because there were often serious flaws in his plans.

“We just need her to get him past security.”

That was good. But she still saw several problems with his plan. “And how did a human get past Lunar Nine’s security and onto the
Intrepid
? For that matter, how did she get off Earth? Humans don’t have spaceships.”

True to form, Fyran narrowed his eyes and fisted his hands. “There’s been all sorts of traffic in and out of that outpost. Is it so hard to believe a human sneaked aboard one of those ships?”

“Actually, it is hard to believe. General Nox locked that place down tight after Akim sneaked in and took pictures of the rebel ships. They scan every ship that passes through the mouth of the cave now, and the opening is covered by an energy net. A human lifeform would be detected immediately.”

“I suppose you have a better idea?” he snapped.

“Not off the top of my head, but your plan makes no sense. Let’s forget about logistics for a moment.
Why
would a human risk her life to sneak aboard a Rodyte hospital ship? The transformation protocol is extremely valuable to the battle born, but most humans want nothing to do with it.”

He just glared at her.

“Let me think this through.” He didn’t object so she continued verbally. It was easiest to organize her thoughts in writing, but this would have to do. “Lies are always most believable when they contain elements of the truth. Why not say this human escaped from you after being abused by some of your men?” Immediately Nicole’s defiant face materialized in Milanni’s mind. The human was smart yet likely headed toward destruction if she remained aboard this ship.

“And how did this poor abused female, who has no understanding of spacecraft, manage to escape?”

“Obviously, she had help. One of your crew could have taken a liking to her and risked your wrath to get her to safety.” He didn’t seem excited about that concept, so she thought a little harder and a better, far more interesting, option sent her thoughts spinning off in a different direction. “How much damage has been done to my ship? Is it still operational?”

“It’s currently offline, but I believe it still functions.” His posture relaxed, though resentment smoldered in his gaze. “I thought Akim was just being spiteful, so I ordered a stop to the dismantling.”

Though Fyran didn’t know it, she’d once worked for the IG. Her ship had more bells and whistles than the
Relentless,
which was considered state of the art. Her body had some interesting upgrades as well, but they were powered by her ship. As long as her ship was offline, so were her implants. Which was the only reason she’d allowed herself to become his pet.

“Could your ship get one of my men past Lunar Nine’s security net?”

She hesitated. How much should she tell him? The truth was so risky. If she told him who and what she was, he could easily react as Akim had and find more value in her ship than in her. Unfortunately, the only alternative was remaining his pet. And he was losing interest fast. The fact that they were planning a mission rather than sharing pleasure convinced her that it was time to change strategy.

“Yes and no. The ship has covert shields so it’s invisible and undetectable to sensors, but it still has mass. As soon as it disrupts the energy net covering the mouth of the cave, the rebels will be on to us. However, it’s hard to track something you can’t see or sense.”

“But the ship would be inside the cave. There’s nowhere to run.”

Clearly, the man had no imagination. “A good pilot could make it to the
Intrepid
before security locked on to their position. Then they’d throw themselves on the mercy of the battle born and the human female would be rushed to the infirmary. The pilot will need to be questioned, of course, but she could beg to check on her friend which would get her back onto the secure level so she could steal the formula.”

“
She
?” Fyran laughed. “Do you honestly think I’ll let you fly off in your own ship? I’m not a complete fool.”

That was debatable. Milanni stilled, silently evaluating her next move. “My ship is tuned to my DNA. No one else can fly it.”

Fyran leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “Who in hells rings are you? How did you end up with a ship that has covert shields and is tuned to your DNA?”

Again she hesitated. Information was power and she wasn’t sure how Fyran would use the power she was about to hand him. “I was working for the IG when my last mission went horribly wrong. That’s how I ended up here.”

His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “You’re a technomage?”

Her lip lifted in a subtle snarl. This subject always made her cranky. “Technomage is a title, like commander or guild master. I have a lot of integrated implants, but I didn’t jump through the hoops required to earn the label.”

“This is unbelievable.” He pushed his fingers through his hair, disrupting the wavy strands. “Why did you run to Akim? I know he was your mentor, but doesn’t the IG stand by their operatives?”

“Not when they screw up as badly as I did.”

A reluctant smile tugged at the corners of his mouth and his gaze gradually softened. “I always knew there was something about you, something deeper than you let others see.”

“There’s no way any of the humans will remain silent. Once they’re free of this ship, they’ll tell the battle born everything they know.” She scooted closer to the table and waited until he looked into her eyes to continue. “So whomever you send will have until the human regains consciousness to steal the formula and get off the
Intrepid
.” He just watched her attentively, so she went on, “If you send one of your crew, the battle born will be suspicious of him regardless of how much he professes to love the girl. However, if two victims escape, terrified for their lives, it will play on the rebels’ protectiveness and pity. The rebels have a soft spot for females. They won’t be able to help themselves. Besides, sir, I’m a spy. This is what I was trained to do.”

“It’s a solid plan,” he admitted, “except for one element. You have no reason to return.”

“So give me one.”

His eyebrows arched and desire erupted in his gaze. “Name your price.”

“I want your protection with no strings attached. If we share pleasure, it will be because it’s something I want, not something I’m obligated to do. I will continue to manage the space pets, but I will be treated with respect by your crew.”

“I need to think about it.”

That surprised her. One of his mistakes in the past had been rushed decisions. “May I ask a question?”

“Regarding what?” He sounded annoyed again.

“Follow through.” Rather than waiting for his decision, she just asked the question. “I know you have medical personnel aboard, but are any of them qualified to run the transformation program? From what I understand, it’s all highly experimental.”

“Let me worry about the details. None of it matters until we get our hands on the formula.”

“Of course, sir.” She’d pushed him has hard as she dared. Now it was time to step back and let him convince himself that it was all his idea. She scooted her chair back and stood, quickly turning toward the door.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He shifted his hips to the edge of his chair and slowly unsealed the front of his pants. “If I’m about to lose my personal pet, I better enjoy her while I can.”

* * * * *

“Is there something wrong with your food?” Berlynn asked. “You’ve barely taken a bite.”

Haven shook her head, unable to fake another smile. They sat in the newly opened food court on the lowest level of the commerce district. In deference to Garin’s order, a guard now stood a short distance away, overlooking the area with stoic efficiency. Haven still thought the nowhere-without-an-escort rule was silly, but she’d learned to choose her battles over the past few years.

Only one of the vendors was open for breakfast, but the food was good. “I can’t get the image out of my mind.” She cringed as she heard her own words. “I know you can relate.” Except Haven was seeing a stranger die over and over in her mind, while Berlynn was reliving the death of her father. “I was there when Javin died, but I wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger. This felt different, more…I don’t know.”