Spy (Battle Born Book 8) Read online

  “How long will it take you to arrange a meeting? I need this settled quickly.”

  Ulrik squared his shoulders and prepared for a tough negotiation. The Outcasts only took on contracts that were extremely lucrative or in other ways beneficial to their team. It was one of the reasons they were so successful. “You’ll have to make it worth my while if I’m going to double-cross Fyran.”

  “If you’re willing to double-cross Fyran, how do I know you won’t double-cross me?” Kage countered as challenge arched his brow.

  The harbinger watched the exchange, his expression inscrutable.

  Ulrik took a deep breath and chose his words carefully. “Fyran promised me something he can’t deliver. My primary reason for wanting it was to sabotage the battle born. The more I think about it, the more I realize I don’t want them humiliated. I want them dead. I’d like to start with their obnoxious leader.”

  Kage shook his head. “I have no quarrel with Garin Nox. I have no interest in joining the battle born cause, but I relate to their struggle.” He motioned the harbinger toward their ship. “There’s nothing for us here.”

  “Wait,” Ulrik cried, instinctively reaching for Kage’s beefy arm. His fingers didn’t even touch the technomage, yet stinging pulses erupted in his hand, then shot all the way up to his shoulder.

  “No one touches me without permission.” Kage intensified the sting to accent the warning.

  “I’m sorry.” Ulrik snatched his hand back and lowered his gaze. “I meant no disrespect, but I really can take you to the Relentless. I know you want the ship.”

  “He speaks the truth,” the harbinger told Kage. “He doesn’t know where the ship is now, but he can lead us to it.”

  Ulrik looked up through his lashes, anxious to see Kage’s reaction.

  Kage stared at Ulrik for a moment in tense silence. “I won’t harm the battle born. Choose another form of payment.”

  Frustration swept through Ulrik like a storm-swollen river, swift and destructive. How did Garin Knox do it? He was a traitor to his own people, yet most found him heroic. It was irrational, and exasperating. “Milanni,” he blurted. “She killed my brother. I want her dead, but the battle born are protecting her. Taking out Milanni is not a direct attack on the battle born. Is she an acceptable target?”

  Kage looked at the harbinger and Ulrik felt the subtle ripple of telepathic communication. He tried, but was unable to penetrate the signal.

  After another tense pause, Kage nodded to the harbinger then turned back to Ulrik. “Agreed. Lead us to the Relentless and Milanni dies.”

  * * * * *

  “Are you insane?” Raylon shook his head, disbelief twisting his expression. “I am not letting you and Lexie attempt this alone!”

  Kaden had requested a quick meeting to update his commanding officers before he and Lexie departed for the Relentless. When he walked into Raylon’s office, he found Sedrik waiting as well. He was starting to wish he’d just headed out and explained everything after the mission was complete. “Milanni was adamant. If Fyran detects any hint of deception, he’ll jump out of this star system and never look back.”

  Garin’s holographic image shook his head. “If he was willing to run, he’d be gone already. He desperately wants the transformation formula, and so does his crew. Fyran isn’t going anywhere.”

  “I agree,” Sedrik said.

  No surprise there. Sedrik always agreed with Garin. They were cast from the same inflexible mold, staunch discipline and chain of command to the marrow of their bones. Raylon could be a little more creative, but at the moment, it was all three of them against Kaden. “Then what do you suggest? The only way to ensure Lexie’s safety is to keep her separated from the men, and that defeats the original purpose for the mission.”

  Raylon dismissed his concerns with an impatient wave. “We can interrogate the crew back here and search the ship without their interference. We have to take the ship.”

  Kaden agreed, on the surface, but they weren’t thinking it through. “A larger mission increases the risk of discovery, which makes it much more dangerous for Lexie and me.”

  “We’re not just after the human captives,” Garin stressed. “I want the Relentless back under our control. That vessel is filled with state-of-the-art technology. And if we continue to let this crew raise havoc, we’re encouraging other rogues. The balance is too precarious right now. We must act decisively.”

  “I don’t disagree with a more ambitious strategy,” Kaden said. “I just need to know how to proceed.”

  Raylon moved out from behind his desk, apparently too restless to sit. “All you and Lexie need to do is distract them long enough for Zilor to take out their jump drive. If they can’t jump to hyperspace, they can’t escape. End of story.”

  Kaden sighed. Every time the battle born had gone after the Relentless something had gone wrong. Garin was right. The situation had dragged on long enough. Still, the record was daunting. “So Lexie and I create a diversion, Zilor blasts the jump drive, then what?”

  “We surround them with fighters and give them no choice but surrender.” Sedrik sounded emphatic, as usual. The only person Kaden had ever met who was more decisive than Garin was Sedrik.

  Garin nodded. “If we make a strong enough statement, they just might surrender without a fight.”

  Raylon scoffed. “Wishful thinking. Men like Fyran never go down without a fight. But we need to have the captives offloaded before we open fire on the Relentless.”

  They discussed specifics for a few minutes and Kaden tried not to let his disappointment show. He’d been thrilled with the prospect of a covert mission. The spy inside him was dying for a little action. But Milanni had deflated his role from mission leader to bodyguard. Now Garin had relegated him to simple decoy. It was humiliating. How was he supposed to impress his mate if they wouldn’t give him the opportunity to show her a few of the tricks more than a decade in the field had taught him?

  “Are you sure Lexie is up for this?” Sedrik wanted to know. “She seemed pretty overwhelmed when you brought her aboard the Undaunted.”

  “She’s human.” Raylon came to her defense before Kaden, annoying him even more. “In my opinion, she’s adjusted to all of this with remarkable calm.”

  “I agree.” Garin looked at him and smiled. “Are you officially courting her or are you still in denial?”

  Sedrik’s gaze snapped toward him, so Kaden tempered his reply. “She’s finally agreed to be courted, but the process has barely begun.”

  “You have seven days to claim her before one of her other matches challenges you.” Hostility deepened Sedrik’s tone. “We are all more than ready for the opportunity.”

  “I thought you weren’t interested in a mate.” He looked at his older brother, surprised by the resentment in his eyes.

  “So did I.” The corners of Sedrik’s mouth quirked in a helpless smile. “I’d heard about the pull, but nothing prepared me for the actual hunger. I spent less than a minute in the same room with Lexie and still I can’t get her image out of my mind.”

  Raylon laughed. “I’ve been there, my friend. Kotto marked Raina before I had any sort of chance with her. I wanted to kill the sneaky bastard. Waiting for Raina to make her choice was the longest week of my life.”

  “Everything worked out well for everyone,” Kaden pointed out.

  “Only after I worked out my aggression on Kotto in a training cage.” Raylon made it sound like a warning.

  Sedrik grinned. “We haven’t sparred in years, little brother. Sounds like fun to me.”

  “You can beat the shit out of each other once this is over,” Garin cut in, bringing them all back on task. “I need you focused on this mission.”

  “Yes, sir,” the brothers said in unison.

  “Good.” Garin’s expression relaxed, but his focus remained intense. “Now, what do we need to make this happen? And let’s work out a specific timeline.”

  It took them several hours to work out
the details, but Kaden left Raylon’s office knowing what was expected of him. He stopped by a garment shop on tier three and purchased an outfit for Lexie. She’d be far less convincing as an ex-prostitute if she showed up in jeans and a T-shirt. Besides, like most Rodyte males, he preferred females in feminine garments. This particular outfit would leave no doubt whatsoever that Lexie was female.

  She sat at the dining room table quietly working on her documentation. She’d chosen a chair on the far side of the table, so she could see the door. It would probably be a good idea to remind her that anything she wrote had to be approved before she submitted it for publication or uploaded it to the internet. But then, she had no internet access without his assistance, so he was probably over thinking the situation.

  “So what’d the bigwigs have to say?” She looked up from her datapad and smiled. “How soon can we leave?” Her hair was damp and she wore a different borrowed outfit. Clearly, she was ready to get started.

  “Garin wants to take back the Relentless, not just rescue the females, so the scope of the mission has expanded considerably.”

  She flipped the cover closed on her datapad and pushed back from the table so she could stand. “What does that mean for us?”

  “Our primary focus is distraction. We need to avert Fyran’s attention long enough for Zilor to take out their jump drive.”

  “I’m not sure what that is, but all right.” She came around the table as he moved toward her, meeting in the middle.

  “A jump drive is the device that allows us to move faster than light. In extremely simplified terms, it creates a temporary wormhole, connecting two distant locations. Without it, Fyran will not be able to escape.”

  She nodded though disbelief still shadowed her gaze. They faced each other, close enough to touch, but neither made the first move. “Once their jump drive is offline, what do we do?”

  “Six fighters will jump to our location and take back control of the Relentless. If possible, we’ll offload the captives before the fighting starts.”

  “If possible?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

  “Neither do I, but Zilor will help locate the captives and get them off the ship.” Unable to resist her any longer, he placed his hands on her hips and pulled her toward him.

  She unfolded her arms and raised them to circle his neck as their fronts lightly touched. “I feel like I’ve been searching for Libby forever, but now that we’re about to go rescue her, I’m terrified, not excited. That doesn’t make sense. I never get scared when I’m chasing down leads, no matter where the clues take me. To be perfectly honest, at times I crave the rush.”

  He ran his fingertip along the side of her face and tucked her hair behind her ear. “When you’re chasing down leads you’re risking your own safety. This time you’re worried about Libby.”

  “Meaning I care more for my sister than I do for myself? That’s pretty twisted.”

  “No.” He curved his fingers under her chin and stroked her lips with his thumb, fascinated by their lush softness. “You have more control over yourself than you do over your sister. That’s what’s causing the fear, lack of control.”

  She thought about it for a moment then nodded. “You’re probably right, but all this waiting isn’t helping either. When can we leave?”

  “Soon.” He kissed her forehead and eased her to arm’s length. “A few hours, not a few days.”

  “A few hours?” she cried. “I’ll go insane long before then.”

  He chuckled at her melodramatic tone and ran his index finger along the side of her neck, tracing her pulse. “I can distract you, if you’d like.”

  “Like you distracted me last night?”

  Their link sizzled with energy and emotions too convoluted to name. “Can you think of a better way to pass the time?” She tensed and tried to step out of his embrace. Easily seeing his mistake, he drew her forward instead. “It was a figure of speech, Lexie. You know you mean more to me than that, much, much more. When will you start trusting me?”

  “I’m sorry. It’s an impulse, a practiced behavior.” She sighed, then glanced away. “There have been so many men in my past that flirted and teased, but weren’t serious about building a lasting relationship. I don’t want another…boyfriend.” She shook her head and smiled ruefully. “That sounds absurd when I’m talking about you.”

  He framed her face with his hands and waited until she looked at him again. “You’re the one who slowed this down. You want something lasting? I’ll happily claim you right now. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. All you have to do is accept my claim.”

  “I know, and I don’t mean to be distrusting. Like I said, it’s just a habit.”

  For a long time they stared into each other’s eyes, unsure how to begin, yet unwilling to move away. Finally, he bent down and kissed her, a soft, tender brushing of lips over lips. “I want more of what we shared last night.” He whispered the words against her soft mouth. “Do you want that too, or should I find something else to do for the next few hours?”

  Instead of attempting to articulate her feelings, she took his hand and led him into the bedroom. She left the door open but told the computer to deactivate the lights when it responded to their movement. She positioned him beside the bed, then quickly unbuttoned her blouse.

  He didn’t rush her, sensed her need to remain in control. He’d allow it for as long as possible, but his dominate nature wasn’t making it easy. He wanted to pounce, spread her out on the bed and stake his claim on every millimeter of her willing body. Soon. The promise soothed him, easing the urgency, for the moment.

  She shrugged out of her blouse, then unfastened her bra and tossed it aside. His gaze gravitated to her naked breasts, powerless against their appeal. The thought made him smile. He was undeniably attracted to her curves, but desire had never made him a mindless animal. Of course, he’d yet to feel the full force of mating fever.

  After removing her boots and socks, she wiggled out of her skirt and paused so he could enjoy the view. He didn’t touch her and didn’t speak, just let her set the pace.

  His passivity made her bolder. With a wicked smile, she searched inside his collar for the seam release. Her fingers located the trigger and the front of his uniform parted. “Very handy,” she whispered as she peeled the garment down his arms. The rest of his clothes soon followed until he stood before her naked. She looked him over with clear appreciation, still not touching him. “It’s a crime to cover up a body like yours.”

  “I’m glad you approve, but you’re still wearing panties.”

  She shrugged, mischief sparkling in her eyes. “I’m not ready to take them off yet.”

  “Is that right?” He reached for the sides of the offending garment, but she wiggled away, laughing.

  “Not a chance.” She pointed to the bed. “Sit down.”

  He narrowed his gaze, displeased by her autocratic tone. “And if I don’t?”

  “I’ll put my clothes back on.” She arched her brow and slowly licked her lips. “Or you can sit and I’ll make it worth your while.”

  Desire washed over him, amplifying his senses and making his heart pound. He’d never seen her like this, all feminine power and overt sexuality. It was intriguing and extremely arousing. He sat on the edge of the bed, spread his legs, then leaned back on his hands. “I’m all yours.” He kept his tone light and playful, but longing swelled inside him and rushed across their link.

  “You drove me crazy last night. It’s only right that I return the favor.”

  A hint of apology threaded through her tone and he smiled. “I don’t think there’s a man alive who’ll object to what you have in mind, love. Come here.”

  She stepped between his legs, but bent to kiss him instead of sinking to her knees. He was fine with that. He loved kissing her, was addicted to her taste and craved her softness. She was more aggressive than normal, still needing control.

  The passive r
ole wasn’t natural for him, but he loved her enough to give her what she needed. Surrendering to him wasn’t natural to her and yet she lowered her emotional barriers and offered him trust, another thing that didn’t come easily.

  Her hands led the way for her mouth. She stroked his shoulders and arms, his chest and sides. Anticipation built as he waited to see what she’d do next. With obvious reluctance, she ended their kiss, then slowly sank to her knees. Her hands rested on his thighs for a moment as she turned her attention to his sex. His body responded to her attention, growing even harder. The ache intensified. Cupping his balls with one hand, she caught his shaft with the other and stroked it several times before guiding him to her mouth.

  A low groan escaped his throat as her warm, wet lips slid against his hardened flesh. This was his mate, the female with whom he’d spend the rest of his life. The hope made each sensation so much stronger. She took him deep, squeezing his base as he neared the back of her mouth. Then she reversed direction, dragging her mouth almost to his tip. Her tongue teased, fueling his desire with clever flicks and sweeping circles. He watched her face, savored the joy she found in exciting him almost as much as the pleasure she created with her hands and mouth.

  She found a moderate rhythm that stole his breath and sent his senses reeling. He shivered and moaned, desperate for release, yet unwilling for the pleasure to end so quickly. “Not like this.” He urged her off, then pulled her to her feet. “I need to be inside you more.”

  “No. You don’t want to lose control any more than I do.”

  “Let’s lose control together.” He hooked his thumbs over the waistband of her panties and tugged them down just past her hips. She wiggled and they dropped to her ankles, so she kicked them aside.

  He pulled her onto his lap, one bent knee on either side of his thighs. She guided him to her entrance and he steadied her with his hands as she slowly lowered herself onto his aching cock. Her hot, wet core gripped him so tightly he nearly lost control. His balls tingled and pressure built with undeniable purpose. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth, fighting back the need to come.