Bound by Darkness Read online

She felt Larem’s presence as if he caressed her with only the heat in his eyes. He stood outside the bathroom in that silent way of his. She turned to face him, tossing the damp towel aside.

  “Is there something else you want?”

  He took one step toward her before he stopped himself. “Don’t play games, Sasha. We’ve had this discussion. Yes, there is something else I want, but not at the price of living in secrecy. I’m only starting to build a life here, and I can’t risk the possible backlash. Besides, we both know you stand to lose everything you’ve been working for if you get involved openly with me.”

  He knew he was right, and so did she. That didn’t make the ache any easier to bear. The Board would never appoint her Seattle’s permanent Regent if she took Larem as her lover. All her hard work would be for nothing. If Devlin was to be believed, another Regent appointee might not do a damn thing to fix what was wrong. Then there was the fact her father would be devastated by her decision.

  Larem’s expression hardened. “Right, that’s what I thought. Good night.”

  His words rang out like another gunshot, only this one struck her in the heart. He’d almost reached the door before she remembered how to move, how to run. She latched on to his arm to stop him. With his strength, Larem could’ve shaken off her hold with little effort. Instead, he froze, staring down at her in silence as they both waited to see what she was going to do.

  Darned if she knew. While her mind listed all the reasons she should let him go, her heart kept screaming that she’d regret it for the rest of her life.

  “Larem, please.”

  “Please what?” he demanded when she didn’t go on.

  Sasha drew a breath and rolled the dice. “Please me and let me please you.”

  The atmosphere in the suite thickened, much the way the air did right before a storm broke with a crack of lightning and a rumble of thunder. Then the rain would come, washing the world clean and making it new again. That was exactly how it would be when the two of them came together—explosive and powerful. She just knew it.

  Larem’s arm trembled under her touch, as if he were fighting some powerful battle within himself. “Tonight only, or tonight and beyond?”

  Okay, she was a coward for wanting to hedge her bets. But how could she promise the future when right now she was blind to everything beyond this one moment? He deserved honesty from her at the very least.

  “Tonight. I know it’s not much, but it’s all I can offer.”

  He was tempted; she could see the hunger in his eyes. Then he was shaking his head and stepping away. The gap that opened up between them was far wider than the few inches he’d moved.

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t do this, Sasha.”

  When his hand reached out toward her, he stared at it as if it belonged to someone else. His touch was gentle but hurt her with the knowledge that it wouldn’t last more than a heartbeat. She was the one who broke it off.

  “I’m sorry, too,” she whispered and backed away, her eyes filling with unwanted tears. “You said it yourself. I can’t jeopardize my mission here. The Paladins need what I can do for them.”

  Larem jerked as if she’d slapped him, and maybe she had. He’d already lost so much since the day his life had become entangled with the Paladins. When he moved, she thought he was headed out the door, but instead he started right for her. She backpedaled only to find herself trapped between the wall and one extremely pissed-off Kalith warrior.

  A wiser woman might have been frightened to have all that strength and temper focused solely on her, but she wasn’t. Thrilled was more like it. Hungry. Aching. Oh, yeah, she ached.

  “Sasha Willis, for this one night you are mine. Before morning, I’ll walk out that door and not look back.” His voice was little more than a growl, his accent thick and rough. “But know this, if you let me go, you’ll regret it forever, because sometimes the gods run out of patience with fools and take back the gifts they’ve offered.”

  She didn’t ask what gift the gods had stolen from Larem, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Right then it was all she could do to simply breathe as Larem began his seduction. The man’s hands were everywhere, showing her things about her body that she’d never known.

  After peeling her shirt off over her head, he slowly slid down the zipper of her jeans as his mouth hovered over her lips. His hand flattened against the slight curve of her belly and then slowly, so very slowly, eased between the heavy denim of her jeans and the thin cotton of her panties. Finally, his lips brushed against hers in a smile as his wicked fingers slowly worked against her core. They’d gotten that far once before. This time, though, it was just the beginning.

  His touch soothed and tormented at the same time. When she closed her eyes and moaned, his tongue plunged in and out of her mouth, a promise of what lay ahead when they made it to the bed. If they made it to the bed. She needed him to strip off all his clothes and let her at that warm skin and taut muscle.

  “Are you ready for more?”

  She pried her eyes open and smiled, trailing her fingers down his chest, down and down until they found and tested the promise lurking beneath his jeans. “Are you?”

  He leaned his forehead against hers. “I have been ready since the first day when you swaggered into the meeting with Devlin Bane.”

  “I didn’t swagger.” But she flushed with pleasure that he’d remembered the moment so clearly. She remembered it too. “You stood in the back row between Hunter and Lonzo.”

  He nodded as he rocked against her hand. “We need to get rid of these clothes.”

  Slowly, he slid her jeans down to her ankles, taking her panties with them. She braced her hands on his powerful shoulders as she stepped out of them. While he removed his shirt, she unhooked the front clasp of her bra, loving it when he froze midmotion as she let it fall to the floor.

  Then he went into hyperdrive, his clothes scattering to the wind. She’d always felt petite around him, but clearly his clothes had somehow disguised how much of him there was. All over. Definitely impressive, even a bit intimidating. Before she could develop a full-blown case of nerves, Larem lifted her into his arms, pressing her against his chest with such care.

  He settled her in the center of the bed and then backed away. “I’ll be right back . . . protection.”

  He was gone and then he was back, his powerful frame stretched out beside her, his gaze lingering as if she were the dessert table at a buffet. When his mouth once again found hers, she gave up and gave in.

  Gods, he loved the spicy flavor of Sasha’s mouth. He couldn’t wait to taste all of her. His anger and frustration had changed into something much more powerful. This might be his only night in her bed, but he was going to do his best to brand it in her memory. Maybe some other lucky bastard would eventually become her lover, but no way would he give her what Larem had. By morning, there wouldn’t be an inch of her body that wouldn’t burn with the knowledge of what they shared.

  With that in mind, he turned his attention to her breasts. Their rosy beauty had struck him dumb at first glance. Would they taste as sweet as they looked? A flick of his tongue answered that question. Yes, they did. He feasted on one and then the other, loving the way they pebbled up against his tongue. Sasha loved it, too, judging from the way she thrust her fingers into his hair and held him close.

  “Larem, that’s incredible.”

  She rolled toward him, lifting her leg high over his hip, opening herself up to his touch. He was more than happy to give in to her demands, gently caressing her slick folds before testing her readiness for more as he suckled her breast with the same pulsing rhythm.

  Sasha reciprocated by grasping his shaft with a sliding squeeze that had his eyes rolling back in his head. If he’d intended this to be a claiming, it was clear that road ran both ways. When she started to guide him right where he most wanted to be, he pulled back, even though the effort almost broke him.

  “Give me a second.”

  He sat up and
reached for the packets he’d dropped on the bedside table and ripped one open. Clumsy with desperation, he took far too long to sheath himself, but the extra time gave him back some of the control he’d lost. Throughout the process, Sasha knelt behind him, pressing her body along the length of his back. Her hands stroked his chest as she nibbled and kissed her way along his shoulders and neck.

  He captured one of her hands and placed a damp kiss on her palm. “Still want this?”

  If she had hesitated at all, he would’ve walked away. Maybe. He’d like to think he could’ve found the strength somehow. Luckily he didn’t have to put it to the test.

  “I want everything you have to give, Larem.”

  She moved back and lay down, holding her arms out to him. He didn’t need to be asked twice. Not that he was going to rush things. These moments, above all else, were meant to be savored.

  Sasha’s breath came in shallow pants as Larem insisted on taking his sweet time making love to her. Her skin flushed hot and cold as he turned his intense attention to this spot and that. Finally, when he had her whimpering with need, he made his move.

  His long hair had come loose, flowing in a dark wave down past his shoulders. She loved the silky feel of it brushing against her skin. He positioned himself over her, spreading her legs wide as they prepared to join their bodies at long last. She smiled and reached between them to guide him home.

  He pressed forward, slowly, his eyes staring into hers with burning desire. When his cock was seated deep within her body, they both let out the breath they’d been holding, startling a small laugh from Larem. That pleased her, sensing that he rarely found much to laugh about in his new life.

  She rocked her hips upward just as he withdrew, only to thrust forward again. He rewarded her efforts with more of the same, picking up speed and strength with each surge, until she no longer knew anything except the slide of his skin against hers, his body in hers. Trying to anchor herself in the swirling vortex of pleasure, she dug her fingers into his hips and held on, loving the flex and play of his muscles.

  Then she arched up off the bed, calling her lover’s name as she reached the breaking point. In response, Larem growled something in his native language as their bodies crashed together in a final explosion of pulsing heat.

  She cried out at the beauty of it all as Larem buried his face against her neck. Then abruptly, he withdrew from more than just her body.

  As he disappeared into the bathroom, she had to wonder if the chill in the air had anything at all to do with the air-conditioning.

  Chapter 13

  Duke sipped his third cup of coffee, needing the jolt of caffeine to stay awake. He’d been parked outside of Sasha Willis’s hotel for over an hour now, and it looked as if he had a long night ahead of him.

  He’d received more orders by e-mail, asking him to keep a closer eye on what the new administrator was up to so he could report to the others at their meeting tomorrow. He glanced at his watch. Make that today, since it was now after midnight.

  Earlier, he’d followed her to a barbecue at Lacey Sebastian’s place. Most of the local Paladins had shown up for the festivities along with their pet Others. No surprise there since one of the Sebastians—Lacey—was shacked up with one of those freaks.

  The Willis woman had taken a cab to the party, so he’d expected her to call another one to take her back to the hotel. Instead, she’d walked out with Lonzo Jones and his Other roommate, Larem. Yeah, that crazy Kalith had even lifted her up into the truck cab. She hadn’t looked happy about having him touch her—it spoke well of her.

  Afterward, Duke had hung back to make sure there wasn’t any more to it than the two guys saving her cab fare. But that wasn’t how it played out. Once they reached the hotel, Larem had once again put his hands around her waist and set her back down on the pavement. This time she’d smiled and leaned on his shoulders, where they’d lingered a little too long.

  Lonzo had taken off right after that, leaving the two of them standing outside the hotel. Rather than see Sasha heading inside, though, Larem had tugged her around the corner into a pool of shadows. Duke had actually spilled part of his coffee in his lap out of shock at what happened next.

  Sasha had not only let the Other kiss her, but Duke wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d let the Kalith fuck her right there up against the wall. How sick was that? He used his cell phone to snap a couple of pictures to forward to his contact.

  How could yet another human woman allow herself to be used by one of those crazies? She had to know what he was. Furious, he’d driven by and taken a potshot at Larem with his paint gun, the only weapon he’d had with him. He’d aimed at the back of Larem’s head, but he’d been off by a couple of inches. Still, it was fun watching the lovebirds go diving for the ground.

  Knowing the Kalith’s uncanny night vision, Duke had taken off right after to avoid being recognized. He’d driven to the rear of the hotel to park and then slipped into a back corner of the lobby just in time to see Sasha and Larem duck into an elevator.

  After hanging around for fifteen minutes with no sign of Larem, Duke had bought a cup of coffee and headed back out into the night. He’d circled the block until a parking spot opened up that would give him an unobstructed view of the hotel’s front entrance. Sure, Larem could go slinking out the back, but that would be the wrong direction if he was heading home.

  Duke’s orders had been to watch, and that was what he was doing. Once he knew how long Larem spent in Sasha’s room, he’d go home and report in tomorrow. Although he had little info about the group that had contacted him, he knew enough to know that they’d be outraged by this development. He set his coffee aside and picked up his paint gun, staring down the sights at the bright light pouring out of the hotel entrance.

  Too bad it wasn’t a real gun instead of a wannabe weapon. He imagined the satisfaction of watching a bullet hitting the center of Larem’s chest, exploding in a spray of red blood instead of blue paint. Yeah, that would feel damn good. Maybe next time.

  Then, as if his imagination had conjured up the alien, Larem walked out of the hotel, stopping long enough to zip his jacket before shoving his hands in his pockets and walking off into the darkness. It was damn well about time the freak left. Duke checked his watch. The bastard had been inside for close to two hours. Plenty of time to get it on with the Willis woman.

  Duke turned the key in the ignition. If he hurried, he’d have enough time to get a few hours’ sleep before heading to Whidbey Island in the morning. Maybe he’d come home from the meeting with a new set of orders to follow, ones that involved settling the problem of the Kalith permanently.

  Larem skirted the dim light of the sidewalk, preferring to keep to the shadows. It definitely fit his mood better than the warm glow cast by the streetlights overhead. He could’ve flagged down a cab, but he figured he stood a better chance of outdistancing the demons nipping at his heels if he walked home.

  What kind of fool leaves the warmth of a willing woman’s bed to hike his ass home through the damp mist of a Seattle night? His kind, evidently. Even now, it was all he could do not to go back and beg Sasha to forgive him for taking off as soon as . . .

  As what? As soon as he’d poured everything he had, everything he was, into her? He’d planned to show her how good it could be between them and ended up learning something far more important about himself: he was a fool. And not just an ordinary fool. No, he was the kind who managed to destroy his own honor and hurt the woman he cared about, all at the same time.

  He’d promised himself to make it so good for Sasha that she’d never forget him. Fine. He’d accomplished that, because the sex had certainly been spectacular. What he hadn’t counted on was the emotional connection that had been forged between them.

  From the instant they got skin-to-skin, he’d been able to sense what pleased her and then what pleased her even more. How she liked to be touched and tasted, how hard and fast she liked to be taken, and how she’d clung to him
as they’d both found sweet release.

  But he’d also known how much she’d hurt when he’d turned away from her, unable to face what he’d done. Oh, she’d hidden it well, agreeing that it was best he leave so they could both get some rest. She had reports to write, and Larem needed to prepare for that big match Devlin had scheduled on Monday against those young Paladins. Besides, Lonzo might return home and worry about where his roommate was.

  Yet none of their reasons would stand up to the light of day, because they were nothing but cowardly excuses. Larem held his face up to the falling mist. What other lies could he tell himself? How this night hadn’t mattered when they both knew it had?

  The worst part was that the farther away he got from Sasha, the more he wanted to turn around and go slinking back to her door. He had few illusions that she’d let him in, but the least he could do was apologize.

  A vehicle drove past him, going slow despite the lack of traffic. For the first time since leaving the hotel, Larem took notice of his surroundings. Had that car driven by before? He hadn’t really been paying attention, but something about it was familiar. Of course, he wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about such things. Trucks were easy. Cars, too. But the one that had disappeared around the corner ahead was somewhere in between. What were they called? Letters, not a name. “S” something.

  He kept walking and waited for the right description to come to mind. Oh, yes, an SUV. Black and shiny. If it went by again, he’d memorize the license plate number. Either D.J. or Cullen could use those mysterious computer skills of theirs to find the owner. If someone was paying too much attention to Larem’s movements, he needed to know who it was.

  Rather than take the direct route to the apartment, he backtracked a block, circled up the hill, and went back down a couple of streets over. If the SUV passed him again, he could be pretty certain the driver was taking more than a casual interest in Larem’s business.

  He was about to give up and go on home when sure enough, the car rolled into view. He must have done something to alert the driver to his interest because the SUV stopped abruptly. After a second, the driver turned in to an alley. Larem took off running, hoping to get a look at the license plate, but the driver gunned the engine and drove out of sight before Larem got close enough.