“Practice,” Michael said. “Something you don’t have. You spend too much time in the lab.”
Marcus stepped forward and handed Diego a bag of peanuts and a bottle of orange juice. Diego eyed him and accepted what was offered. “I thought you two were dead.”
“No plans to go and do that anytime soon,” Michael said. “But if you were going in there alone, I’d say you had a death wish.”
Diego stared at the complex and took a long, much-needed drink of orange juice. The middle of the night was the best time to make a move. He doubted anyone knew they were gone yet. And any chance of finding Catherine alive meant acting now.
“Who’s still inside?” Marcus asked.
Diego took a few moments to answer, thinking about the repercussions of returning without good news. “Catherine.”
Silence. Michael finally spoke. “Marcella is not handling this well, I take it.”
“No.” Diego didn’t look at either of them.
Michael stared at the man he had grown to know and trust and realized what a turning point this was for him and his mate. He had been alone for years now and he had learned to deal with the emptiness. But inside the dark power of his beast grew stronger. It was a battle he didn’t quite understand. And one he had kept silent about. He kept a distance from most. It was considered his personality. But he knew things others didn’t and had powers beyond many of the other Knights. He wasn’t sure why he was different but he knew Mason had dealt with a similar reality.
Holly had already voiced concerns about the GTECH enhanced men and a need to get them mated. About how it seemed to affect them if they didn’t. Perhaps it was the need for a mate that burned inside him. Michael had been one of the first converted, as had Mason. His time without a mate had been the longest of all the converted males. Did this impact his stability in some mental or physical way? There was so much they still didn’t know about the needs of this new race they had become. Things he intended to help his people discover. But right now, he had one focus. He needed to help Diego and his mate come together and thrive.
“You need to rest,” Michael said to Diego. “We should wait until at least midnight or beyond to move forward.”
In silent agreement, the Knights found shelter in the hidden cave. They spent the next few minutes explaining what had gone down and making plans. They had two other men with them but it was decided they should stay on alert to assist an escape. It would be Michael and Diego who would go inside. Both had inside knowledge of the facility since they had once been trapped on the wrong side of the war.
And with only an hour to sleep, Diego sat down on the cavern floor and let his head fall to the rock wall. His eyes fluttered as his dreams drifted to Marcella.
* * * * *
With heavy eyes, Marcella looked down at Holly. She was asleep now. For hours, Marcella had lain with her. And healed the weakness in the center of her body. It wasn’t poison that attached Holly. It was as if she was undernourished. Marcella wasn’t sure she could protect her from such a thing. She had only eased the sickness.
When Diego returned… God, she hoped he did. Pushing the thought aside, she refused to be negative. He had to come back. And when he did, she needed to talk to him about what was wrong with Holly. This was a case where his skill as a doctor was stronger than her power as a healer. She couldn’t drive nutrients into Holly’s body. Her power drove away the poisons.
She walked towards the door she now knew led to the bathroom. And to a huge garden tub. Hard to believe so far underground, but it was a pleasant surprise. A hot bath would do her good. When Holly had offered she had more than eagerly accepted. Only she wanted to stay with her until she was sleeping. Marcella shut herself in the bathroom and made quick work of starting the water. To her surprise, she even found bubble bath. She wasn’t quite sure she had ever felt so dirty. She piled her clothes at her feet, item by item.
Her foot touched the water and she sighed. It was like a rush of relief was already inching through her body. A moment later she settled into the tub, bubbles covering her body, and rested her head against the wall. She tried not to think about the world above. About how she would forever be underground. About what that would be like without Diego. Forcing her eyes shut, she curled her feet beneath her, turned sideways and allowed her head to settle on the plush cushion. In her mind, she called to him. Diego. Over and over in her mind she said his name. Hoping for an answer…until her mind went dark.
* * * * *
Marcella stepped out of the tub and reached for her towel. The mirror was directly across from her and she looked up as she began to dry her skin. Wondering what Diego saw when he looked at her. But what she found was him. Diego. She blinked. It couldn’t be. He stood there, naked, cock hard with arousal, a perfect image of male perfection. In the back of her mind, she wanted to ask questions but her body ached with the vision he made.
Her nipples already damp from the bath tightened with arousal. And though he looked like a muscular Adonis, a sensual feast for her viewing, it was those deep, dark eyes of his that made her burn from the inside out. In them she saw passion but also emotion. Something deep, and untouchable, yet at the same time, it wrapped around her and caressed her skin. As if he touched her with his stare.
He moved towards her, and without thought, she did what felt necessary. Her hand found the proof of his arousal, fingers wrapping the width and then sliding towards the soft tip. She heard his intake of breath but he didn’t look down. His hand went to the towel she held, and he tossed it aside. He moved so that he stood to the side of her. Almost behind her. She could feel his cock pressing against her hip and ass.
And she was tingling, wet and ready for him.
Water droplets clung to her shoulder and he used his palm to slowly erase the moisture. She shivered as goose bumps formed in the aftermath. His mouth moved close to her ear. “You know I would so anything to please you, don’t you, mi amor?”
But she couldn’t respond. His hand was now gliding over her skin, low on her back. Anticipation had her heart racing and her body thrumming with need. She felt his palm on her cheek and shivered. His fingers brushed the cleft, intimate as they slid downward.
Her eyes fluttered as she felt the glide of her silky arousal on his finger. And then his hand raised and came down over her cheek with a firm, possessive grip. Her breath hitched at the unexpected force. “Answer,” he ordered. “Do you know? I need to know you know.”
“Yes,” she whispered, responding not to the command but the desperation she sensed in him. For a man of control, which she knew he was, he was raging with urgency. Hovering on the edge of some sort of explosion.
He slid his one hand around her hip and flattened it on her stomach, pulling her so her back molded to his chest and his cock slid between her legs. Long and hard, it slid against her wet core and made her burn for him. To have him inside her was the ultimate intimacy. Something he made her crave even if she didn’t understand what she felt. Or the way it burned a path along her skin and made her stomach swirl with flutters of warmth.
He lowered her forward, urging her hands on to the sink top. Her eyes went to the mirror, watching them together. Naked. Touching. Pressed close. His lips brushed her ear, and his hand slid to her hip and he pulled her ass tight to his hips. His breath was warm on her neck.
Diego’s eyes met hers in the mirror. She felt the contact clear to her toes. It was as if he crawled beneath her skin and became one with her. Any doubt he was a part of her was gone in that moment. And the control was not his. Nor was it hers. It was shared. For he wanted her as intensely as she did him. Together they formed this molten heat. Together they simply were united in passion and in life.
Slowly his gaze dropped, and it was as if he was touching her. Her breasts were high and nipples pebbled hard with the bittersweet ache of pleasure. His fingers moved to the tips and lightly brushed them. Sensual heat shot through her body and straight to her core. Her hands covered his and press
ed his palms to her body. She arched into the touch and made a low growling noise. Animalistic and wild, it seemed to only fire her desire.
What was it about this man that made her want to yell for more?
But she didn’t have to. In one slick move he pressed his cock to the center of her body and sunk deep. “Yes,” she cried out. “Yes.” Her head jerked backwards as the ripples of sensation inched through her body.
Marcella felt his hands slide down her body and settled on her hips. And he thrust into her. Hard. Deep. The intensity of what she felt made her eyes flutter, but she wanted to see him. Her man. The sexy, wild man who had taken her life by storm. And what a sight he was. Bare chest, muscles rippling with exertion, he looked like a warrior fighting for his life. For her. His face was etched with pleasure as he drove into her. Over and over, he hit her core in a crazed pounding that seemed to answer the pleas of her body but then leave her wanting more.
And suddenly, she couldn’t keep her eyes open. A ball of tension was forming right above her clit…his cock slid along the spot with delicious friction. It danced along her nerve endings and made her moan. Her body was at that point of no return. She was tumbling but it wasn’t quite there. But his hands slid around the front of her thighs and one slid to her breast. The minute he pinched her nipple she rolled into bliss.
The pleasure was so intense she actually felt her body jerk and then tremble. Long, hard spasms sent her into sensations of absolute heaven. So much so that she hardly knew when Diego joined her. It wasn’t until she began to sink into the aftermath that she heard his gasp and felt his last shudder of release. And then he leaned forward as she pulled herself upward. They rested against the sink, his body tight against hers. He ran his hand down her hair, and his fingers brushed her cheek, urging her lips to his.
Long, loving strokes of his tongue swept along hers. Reluctantly, he pulled away. She felt his hesitation. “Do you know, right this moment, that I love you?”
She could barely breathe, so intense was the emotion she felt. “Yes,” she whispered and dear God, she did. She really did. They’d hardly just met and she knew he loved her and she loved him.
He smiled and she realized she hadn’t seen him do that much. She wanted him to do it more often. She wanted to be the reason. “Just like this very moment,” he said, “you can reach me with you mind. All you have to do is believe.”
* * * * *
Marcella shivered and her eyes flew open. The water around her was cold. Where…what…she sat up. Water dripped from her body. Diego. Where was he? Her eyes moved around the bathroom but he was nowhere to be found. It had been too real. Her body felt ripe with arousal. Touched. Burning with the feel of his hands.
Slowly, she sank back against the wall and pressed her eyes shut. “I love you too,” she whispered. I love you too.
Chapter Fifteen
They appeared at the far west side of Area 51. Two men from the wind. Above, the sky twinkled with the lights of distant planets. Of stars that held more secrets than most of humanity began to comprehend. Neither spoke. They didn’t have to. Both knew what had to be done.
With the speed of knowledge and skill of hunters, they opened a hidden doorway leading to an underground facility. Already the inner radar of the Arions would be alerting the enemy of their arrival. But once underground, they would be undetectable. A ventilation system tunnel, their chosen spot held no cameras. Like ghosts, they entered a facility so secure most would find it impossible to breach. But then most were not like them. Inside it was dark but with eyes unlike a human’s the blackness was no deterrent. In a few short minutes, they were at the entrance to the prison cells.
Diego stopped at a large metal casing. Beneath them two guards leaned against the walls. But their true obstacle was the camera in the corner. The one that threatened to alert the forces of many. This was where Diego had to believe in the newfound powers he and Marcella had together. He’d reached for her in her sleep for a reason. Actually, for a lot of reasons. Most importantly, in case he didn’t make it home. He wanted her to know what she was to him. And he to her.
But unlike the first shared dream, he had been awake while she had slept. He had intentionally found her with his mind. The ability to do and say what he intended, to make every breath feel real, had been incredible. And afterwards, he had assured Michael he had the ability to fool that camera. Everything he had been able to do prior to mating, he could do ten times better and he hadn’t even tried. It was effortless. Her unique skill had melded into his.
Diego focused on the camera, playing the scene of the two unmoving guards in his mind. Willing it to replay on the camera. But a flash of doubt played in his mind. There was so much on the line here. He thought of his mate and instinctively reached for her mind. Worried about her future and how his failure would impact her. If he was wrong…and then, like the caress of a feather, Marcella was in his head.
I am here.
Michael touched his arm, asking if they could move without words. And in that moment Diego knew the answer. He looked at his friend and gave a quick nod of his chin. They were on the ground, guards shot in the head with silent bullets in a matter of sixty seconds. Then each took a cell door. With the guards’ keys they were inside in another twenty seconds. Only what Diego found was not what was expected. At least ten women lined the walls, chained by their wrists and drugged. Not one of them even moved. Few wore clothes.
He didn’t take long to think. Catherine wasn’t here. No way could he rescue them. Not now. They’d all die in the process. He started for the door and Michael entered. “Same thing in the next cell.”
That left one more. Without another word they went there. And what they found was the same. Only this time he found what he came for. Catherine. His heart squeezed at the site. She was bruised and bloody and chained to the wall. And he knew without taking her pulse she was also dead.
The minute he made the discovery, he tried to block his thoughts. To protect Marcella. But it was too late. He heard her scream in his head. Felt the pain like a stab in his heart.
Nooooooo!
Marcella…
But he couldn’t feel her. She had withdrawn from his mind. Gone.
Michael touched his shoulder. “We must leave.”
Diego nodded and turned away from Catherine. Wishing like hell he could bring her back.
* * * * *
Marcella sat on the bathroom floor, tugging her robe tighter around her body. Tears rolled down her cheeks. It hurt. It hurt so much. And suddenly she felt the comfort of arms around her. Holly. She hugged her and pulled her close. How long she cried she didn’t know. It was as if her very soul tore from her chest. She cried for her aunt. And she cried for the parents taken from her at such a young age. All her life her differences had destroyed everyone she loved.
Finally, desperate for answers, she spoke. “They…killed her,” she whispered. “Why?”
Holly leaned back and used a tissue to wipe Marcella’s cheek. “There is no answer to this. They are evil. It’s why I work so hard to find ways to fight them.”
She rejected the implications of her words. Right now, she could reject life. It felt like dying might be better than the ache inside. “I don’t want to do this. I don’t kill. I heal.”
“I felt the same,” Holly said. “I’m a doctor and a scientist. My family spent their entire lives trying to find ways to heal and cure illness. But I’ve accepted that my skills must be used to stop these monsters.” She touched her stomach. “Though you might not believe it right now, I’ve learned to fight. I can shoot a gun and even handle a knife. You name it. I’m fully converted but I don’t have a lot of the extras Mason has. No knifed arms or fangs. I learned to use weapons.”
Marcella blinked. “What? Fangs?
Holly laughed. “You have much to learn. The bottom line tonight is, I will fight and I will kill an Arion if necessary. But even more so, I use my skills to help others fight. We must win this war.”
&
nbsp; Marcella was starting to grasp what was needed. A light was glowing inside, pressing her to go on. To help. “And I can do the same. That’s what you’re saying.”
Holly nodded. “Yes. It’s not about healing as much as it is about your other skills. Arions know how to levitate and use their minds in ways the Knights don’t. Knights are the same species. This means they can do what the Arions can, they just don’t know how.”
Marcella understood. “But I’m not sure I can help.”
“All we ask is that you try. Teach what you do naturally. You were born with your powers. Knights weren’t. What you do they must learn.”
It made sense. And it gave her a purpose. She so needed that right now.
As if she read her mind, Holly reached for her hand. “Diego needs you. The bond is hard to understand but it is strong.” She paused. “And so very special.”
Marcella stared at her. “He says I belong to him.”
Holly laughed. “Men. Just make sure he knows he belongs to you as well.”
And when Marcella thought it was impossible, she smiled.
Because Diego did know he belonged to her.
Chapter Sixteen
As easily as they had appeared inside the compound, Diego and Michael reappeared on the outskirts. Marcus and two other men were to meet them at a certain checkpoint. They appeared inside the cluster of trees established as the meeting stop. And as expected Marcus was there. Only he stood in the midst of four Arions, one of which was Damion, and he wasn’t a captive.
Marcus was a traitor.
“Welcome,” Damion said. “Took you long enough.”
Michael stepped towards him, razors extended, paying no attention to the others around them. And just like that, they were in the midst of a battle. Diego followed his lead and extended his razors. There was no time to draw weapons. He simply had to go hand to hand. With an Arion on either side of him, he felt the slice of his side as it ripped beneath a razor.