Chapter Twenty-Three
Holly looked into the microscope without really seeing what was before her. She was thinking of Mason, of their fight and their future or, rather, lack of one.
She could see the writing on the wall. If the Arions weren’t completely shut down, and soon, there would be a major change in humanity. Mason could easily be the leader of what would be a group of people fighting for freedom and goodness. He would need children to rise up and follow in his footsteps as leaders.
She couldn’t give him what he needed.
The emptiness quickly building inside was suddenly replaced with an awareness that washed through her mind, a warmth that only one presence gave her.
Mason.
She turned toward the doorway moments before he walked into the room. How did she know he was there? This weird sense of understanding him and knowing him was starting to rattle her a bit.
They looked at each other, eyes locking, yet neither spoke. Holly took in his appearance with open regard. His hair was pulled back with a tie and he had changed into all black. He had a knife and a gun holstered to his belt and she was certain there were other weapons she couldn’t see. He looked big, dangerous and ready to act. She could literally feel the edginess he felt as if it was a hum on her own skin.
Holly knew the weapons were necessary but they made her worry. He was going into danger. She didn’t want him to get hurt. “You look like a walking arsenal.”
“Just trying to be prepared,” he said flatly.
“When are you leaving?”
He stared at her, not responding immediately. “Soon,” he finally said. “I need to show you some things in the equipment room.”
“Does that mean Sterling is going for the tranquilizers?”
“It does.”
She knew how hard it was for him to give in. Even now, she sensed his hesitation to leave her alone, his fear for her. It was hard to stay angry when she felt his concern, so real and alive, as if it were her own. “Thank you.”
He didn’t acknowledge her words but she saw the surprise flash in his eyes before he wiped it away. With a nod of his head, he motioned her forward.
Holly followed him to the small equipment room. It had a countertop, two rolling chairs, which faced the large monitors, and equipment sitting on metal shelving. Mason sat down in one the chairs and pulled the other out for Holly. He showed her how to log in to the system, what to watch for and what alarms could go off and why. She took in all the information, hoping—no, praying—she wouldn’t need to put it to use. She had seen what an Arion had done to Mason. She knew they were dangerous.
The last thing he showed her was how to send him a distress message on a silent beeper he carried. “The system has special wiring that will reach above ground even beneath all this rock. If you call my cell phone it will be detected so, whatever you do, don’t use it. This device will be safe.”
“Is that why you can’t call Michael and warn him?”
“Exactly. The signal would be picked up and tracked. It’s too big a risk.”
Mason swiveled his chair to face Holly’s. “There’s something else.” He seemed to hesitate. “If you should have trouble and you can’t get to the computer, there is another way to contact me.”
Holly turned her chair halfway toward him, a question in her eyes, but instead of explaining how she could contact him, he asked, “Is being around me the rest of your life such a horrible thought?” His voice was soft, even gentle. Still, Holly sensed his apprehension. Her heart sped up, adrenaline pumping through her veins in some unknown form of anticipation.
She swallowed, feeling as if her throat was suddenly far too dry. “Not for me but it sounds like it would be for you,” she said, with edginess to her tone. And because she didn’t want to talk about the baby thing, she said, “After all, you said I would be a pain in your ass and that’s a direct quote.”
His eyes narrowed. “I don’t want someone who whimpers and whines, Holly. Your convictions make you more, not less, in my eyes.”
She made a sound. “You have a funny way of showing it.”
“You knew I wasn’t serious. Why did you respond to it out of the context we both know it was meant?”
“I…I don’t know, Mason.” She looked down, not wanting him to see what was in her eyes.
He grabbed the arms of her chair and turned her to face him, his arms locking her into a captive position. Her eyes went to his instinctively.
“I love you, Holly.” His voice was a soft caress touching her heart. It began tearing down her walls. “I want us to spend the rest of our lives together. If you don’t want that, if what I am scares you, then tell me so. Don’t search for an out. I won’t force you to stay with me.” He hesitated. “I will force you to let me protect you. I won’t let you get hurt.”
His eyes met hers, searching her expression in some soul-deep way, almost as if he could read her mind if he tried hard enough. His eyes held something raw and needy and his voice was urgent, but low. Her shields seemed useless with Mason. And she really didn’t want them to exist anyway. With Mason, she felt the need to share her thoughts and feelings, good and bad. It was a fear of holding him back, of keeping him from having children, forcing her to shield herself at all.
“What aren’t you telling me, Holly?”
She averted her gaze, staring at her lap. In a very soft voice, she asked, “What makes you think I’m not telling you something?”
He gently took her chin between two fingers and made her meet his gaze. “I can sense your feelings, just as you can mine. You know I know when you’re upset. I feel your distress and I also know you really want to tell me what’s bothering you.”
With obvious trepidation in her voice, she said, “I’m not able to be everything you deserve to have in a woman.”
“Meaning what?”
She shut her eyes since he still held her chin. “Haven’t you wondered what I am doing for birth control? It’s not like I have a pharmacy nearby.”
In an instant, she was in his lap, legs over the arms of the chair. His arms were strong and comforting and she clung to him, soaking in the power of their connections, wanting it to last forever.
He slid his hand to her cheek and made her look up at him. “Are you telling me you think you’re pregnant? If you are, please don’t think I’ll be upset. It’s not the best of circumstances but how could I be upset about having a child with the woman I love? We will just have to pray my genetic changes won’t be a problem.”
Her stomach twisted in knots. “I’m not pregnant.”
He studied her as he gently brushed hair behind her ear. “Talk to me, Holly. I don’t understand what you’re telling me.”
She sighed and then started to explain. “I was talking to Sterling and asking him if he dated and—”
Mason stiffened. “Why would you do that?”
Holly gave him a look. “That’s not the relevant issue here. He told me how Arions mate. He also said they only have a limited opportunity to have children.”
“That’s true,” Mason said. “It must be with their true mate or conception won’t take place.”
“You will need a child to carry on your role should this turn into what it seems it will. I think it will become a war of leaders, with you as one leader and David as the other, good against evil.”
“It’s too soon to make those type assessments,” Mason said frowning.
She didn’t look at him as she spoke. “I can’t have children so, even if I was your mate, I can’t fulfill your need. You need to find a mate who can.”
Mason ran his finger down her cheek. “Angel, look at me.”
She shook her head no.
“Yes,” he insisted as he used his finger to tilt her chin up. “I want you. If that means we don’t have children, then we don’t. Frankly, I would be afraid of what would happen to a child, considering all my genetic tampering.”
She wasn’t accepting that answer. It would be
greedy and wrong of her. She wanted, even needed, Mason, but there was more than her needs to be considered. “Find your mate, Mason, so the future can be bright with your heritage.”
He stared down at her, his heart in his eyes. “I have found my mate, Holly Heart.” Then he lowered his voice, “You.”
“No,” she whispered. “I won’t do whatever has to be done to make it so. I know there is some sort of ritual or something. Sterling said so. You need to find someone else compatible who can give you a child.”
Finality in his voice, he held her gaze. “It’s too late. What is done is done. I chose you.”
“I won’t do that to you,” Holly whispered, trying not to cry.
Mason leaned down, brushing his lips over hers. “There is much we need to discuss, Angel, but not now. I have to go. Just know this,” he said with a husky quality to his voice, “I choose you. There is no other I can mate with. I should have talked to you about this before now.” His fingers laced into her hair. “I wanted you to choose to be with me despite what I am, not to force the ritual on you.”
Then he kissed her, slanting his mouth over hers and dipping his tongue into her mouth. Holly sighed into his mouth. He tasted of love and desire and made her feel cherished. When he pulled his head back, they stared into each other’s eyes.
His hand slid along her body, his desire to touch her, to please her, taking over. It hadn’t been his intent. There was no time. But he raged with a sudden need to please her. To hear her call his name in pleasure. His hand moved to her thigh and inched between her legs, stroking her. She whimpered into his mouth and it only served to drive his need to a roar.
His head lifted, his eyes locking with hers. Long seconds were spent staring at one another before he lifted her. Somehow his desire to simply bring her pleasure had turned into a burning flame that he no longer controlled.
He was leaving her tonight… Who knew what would happen. He had to go knowing she was his. At least, for the moment. He pulled her pants down even as he turned her to lean over the chair. “What if someone comes,” she whispered.
He didn’t even consider her words. “I need you, Holly.” He released his throbbing cock and then molded his body to hers. Animal need was controlling him. He slid inside her, hearing her gasp, a mix of shock and pleasure.
He felt like tilting his head back and yelling with a possessive claim. His hips pressed into her round, perfect ass, even as his hands held her hips. Each stroke was like a rocket of sensation. He sunk deeper, and harder, and she pressed against him with equal impatience.
She was making loud sounds of pleasure and he felt the animal in him answer with the rage of pure need. Harder, faster, more…closer. He wrapped his body around hers, filling his palms with her breasts, and his body shook with release.
Holly cried out his name…and then she spasmed around him. And slowly, he calmed, the beast inside now fulfilled, as was the man.
He helped her get dressed, kissing her cheek, her lips and her hair. Finally, he cupped her cheeks. “There is something important I need you to remember,” Mason told her. “If you should get into trouble and can’t get to the computer, reach out to me with your mind.”
“What do you mean?”
His eyes met hers. “Our bond is strong, Holly. You already know we share much more than other couples.”
“Why is that? It’s true, I know. Are we… I mean, is it because I am compatible as your mate?”
“Of course you are. We both knew we belonged together the moment we met. As I said, there is much to discuss, Angel. The ability to communicate in our minds is not something I could do with anyone else, nor could you. If you get into trouble, focus your energy on reaching out to me and you will.”
* * * * *
Holly sat in the lab, analyzing the Arion blood against a few formulas she had put together. Her resources were so limited, it was frustrating. There were ideas bouncing around in her head, good ideas to deplete the vitamin C in the Arions bodies, but she simply didn’t have the resources to test them.
When Mason left, she had buried herself in her work, trying not to think about the danger he was in. It was unnerving, thinking about him against those creatures. He wasn’t like them. They were evil and that changed the whole way they approached battle.
And what if Michael had been betrayed and now Mason was walking into a trap?
Holly looked up, staring into space, willing herself to stop worrying, to be calm. But she wasn’t calm. The gun she had sitting on the table next to her was proof of that.
A loud sound made her jump, her hand flying to her chest.
She knew that sound.
It was the alarm.
Holly grabbed the gun, pushing her chair back so quickly, she stumbled forward and had to catch herself on the table. She looked down at the gun and gulped. She didn’t need to be bouncing around with a weapon she hardly knew how to fire. She needed to get to the equipment room. She whirled and took off in a jog toward it, holding the gun so it pointed at the ground, aware of its cold steel presence in her hand, silently giving her some semblance of comfort.
In that moment, she decided she was going to learn to master using a gun and any other weapon she could. Not just use them, master them. It wasn’t in her nature to sit back and became a victim. She wouldn’t do it.
The minute she stepped into the equipment room, she centered in on the problem. Mason had left a camera set up to monitor Roger. She could see smoke surrounding him as he pounded on the door.
Fire.
Holly sat down the gun, the threat of intruders gone, and started toward the elevator. A strange feeling, black and ominous, made her turn back and grab the gun. The extra time only made her more frantic. She had to get to Roger before he burned to death.
She punched the elevator button over and over. “Come on,” she yelled at it. “Come on!”
It felt like a million years before it actually opened though it was only seconds. Holly ran inside the car and punched the close button the instant it was in view. There was no way to get to Sterling’s cavern without going to the main level and then taking another elevator.
By the time Holly stepped off the second elevator into Sterling’s living room, smoke had funneled under Roger’s door and was forming a cloud inside the cavern. Holly started coughing, her throat and lungs burning almost instantly.
“Hold on, Roger,” Holly screamed in a raspy voice as she moved toward the room Roger was being held in. “I’m coming.”
Unlocking the door with shaky hands, she shoved it open and jumped backwards in case flames might surge outward. Roger fell forward, onto the ground, coughing and choking.
He was covered in black soot and his lungs were filled with far too much smoke, but clearly he was okay.
A fire extinguisher hung by the elevator door, as it did on all floors. She couldn’t get a grip on it without getting rid of the gun. In a matter of seconds, she battled a desire to hold onto the weapon and the need to put out the fire. She shoved the gun in her pants but it didn’t fit and she was afraid she would end up shooting herself.
With no time to analyze the intelligence of her decision, she sat the gun down at her feet. In the next instant, she yanked the extinguisher off the wall and moved toward the flames. Pulling the release, she began shooting a white wash of spray everywhere she saw fire. Holly wanted to scream out with joy as the flames turned into smoke, inch by inch, disappearing and taking away the threat.
When the fire was finally out, she dropped the extinguisher to the ground, exhausted and breathless. She wiped perspiration from her forehead with the back of her hand and then pressed her palm against it. Her skin felt too hot to be normal and her eyes burned as if she had acid in them.
The flames had been like a living thing, scorching with intent. God, they could have died.
She smiled, but just barely. It took too much energy. It always felt good to prevail. It would feel better later when she got cleaned up.
“Holly.”
Something about the way Roger said her name made dread snake through her veins. Slowly, she turned and brought him into focus. He stood facing her, the damn gun in his hand.
She looked at it and then raised her eyes to his. “Now I know why I didn’t want to put the gun down.” A bitter laugh escaped her lips. “In the midst of saving your life, I forgot I was dealing with a traitor.”
His eyes flashed with anger and something she couldn’t quite identify. “It didn’t have to be this way. I loved you but you chose Mason.”
Jealousy. That was the other something in his eyes. “You set that fire, didn’t you?”
“Where are the others?” he asked, ignoring her question.