Whatever sharp retort she’d been meaning to deliver faded into silence as she blinked up at him, her gaze softening on him for the first time since they’d met.
Aric realized only now how close they stood to each other on the grass. No one to hear them, no one to intrude on them despite the sea of people milling about in all directions.
He took a breath and his senses filled with Kaya’s enticing scent, a mixture of cinnamon and roses and something more elusive. Sunshine warmed her skin and dark hair, which only intensified the fragrance that was uniquely hers. Every Breedmate had her own blood scent, and Kaya’s was wreaking havoc on Aric’s focus and control.
It wasn’t as if he was hungered for female company. He was far from a saint, but he made it a practice to avoid intimate entanglements with women bearing the teardrop-and-crescent-moon birthmark of a Breedmate. If he needed a reminder of why he kept his appetites confined to human women only, Kaya Laurent was it.
Even so, the urge to touch her was nearly overwhelming.
More tempting was the desire to kiss her again, though if he did that now, it would have nothing to do with their mission or the effort to fortify their covers.
No, if he touched her, it would be for purely selfish reasons.
And because the silent invitation in her eyes told him that she was feeling the same crackle of arousal too.
Aric swallowed on a dry throat as he fought to keep his hands fisted and still at his sides.
He couldn’t think of a worse idea than letting his attraction to Kaya overshadow his attention to their assignment. Regardless, he was on the verge of losing that argument with himself when a cheer suddenly went up from the gathered crowd.
Kaya sucked in a shallow gasp, though whether in reaction to the abrupt clamor of excitement from all around them or from relief over the timeliness of the interruption, Aric couldn’t be sure.
He swiveled away from her, adding his wooden applause to the enthusiastic greeting the newlyweds were receiving as they emerged at the top of the marble steps. Their golden-haired target, Stephan Mercier, kissed his bride to the delighted shouts of the onlookers. The groom earned an even greater cheer when he bent his beautiful bride over his arm and swept her into a smooth, swoon-worthy dip.
Aric groaned, hardly able to stifle his disdain for the suspected Opus sympathizer. Kaya, too, wore an expression of cold business as she watched the happy couple descend the stairs hand-in-hand while the orchestra segued from garden music to a jaunty rendition of the “Wedding March”.
Aric slid a glance at his partner. “Game on. You ready?”
She nodded, her smile as dazzling as it was determined. “Let’s do this.”
CHAPTER 6
Unfortunately, Lucan’s advice that it wasn’t going to be easy getting close to their target had been correct. A security detail of ten grim-faced men in dark suits and sunglasses kept a close eye on both the bride and groom as they greeted some of their guests on the way to the wedding party’s table inside the pavilion.
The guards remained posted nearby through all of the endless toasts and the lavish luncheon that followed. There was no quick path for getting Mercier alone for even a few seconds, never mind the minute-plus that Kaya needed.
Which left Aric and her with one good chance to make their move.
As the orchestra conductor announced the formal introduction of Mr. and Mrs. Stephan Mercier with their first dance as husband and wife, Aric’s hand closed around Kaya’s under the table. She was sure the chaste kiss he pressed to her temple was only part of his act--just as his unexpected claiming of her mouth back in the car had been--yet that didn’t stop her pulse from skittering in her veins at the brief contact.
He smiled at their tablemates as he began to rise from his seat. “Will you all excuse us, please? The first dance is always Elizabeth’s favorite part of a wedding.”
“Yes, it is,” Kaya agreed, allowing him to assist her out of her chair while the other couples seated with them nodded absently or offered indulgent smiles.
Kaya kept her expression schooled as she and Aric crossed the garden at a deliberately casual pace. They weren’t alone. Other guests had a similar idea, no less than twenty couples converging on the covered structure where the bride and groom were slowly swaying and twirling to a romantic ballad.
Aric still held on to her hand as they approached the pavilion with its fairy tale decorations. For one disorienting moment, Kaya found it difficult to separate herself from the comfort of his touch in such a beautiful setting and the sobering gravity of what they had come here to do. She’d never dreamed of rainbows and roses, so why the sight of so much romance and fantasy made her heart flutter now, she had no idea. Nor did she want to know. Not when the rest of her was focused on her mission.
Aric led her to a spot as close as they could get to the dance floor. Then they waited and watched. Applauding and smiling as the mother of the groom and the father of the bride took their turns dancing with their children.
Finally, it was time for the guests to join the celebration on the dance floor. Smoothly, with as much stealth as a skilled assassin, Aric took her in his arms and glided with her into the crowd. Although he managed to make their pursuit look accidental, in no time at all Kaya found herself dancing directly behind Stephan Mercier and his bride.
Aric lowered his head in a nearly imperceptible nod, the only warning she had before he backed her right into the groom.
“Oh, my goodness!” Kaya exclaimed. She staggered awkwardly, pivoting around to apologize. “I’m so sorry. Pardon us, please.”
Mercier merely grinned, still swaying with his arms around his bride. “No problem at all. I’m sure it was my fault.”
“Not so fast,” Aric interjected with a chuckle when it appeared Mercier would have carried on without further conversation. “We’ve been watching the two of you dance. From what I’ve seen, the only one here with two left feet is me. Stasi, you’ve never looked more beautiful.”
Her brow pinched as she tilted a quizzical look on him. “Thank you... ah...”
“Will.” Aric gave her a charming smile. “Will Bouchard. From UBC. It’s all right if you don’t remember. We only had a few classes together.”
“Oh, yes,” she replied, politely taking his bait even though her warm eyes held no recognition whatsoever. “Of course, I remember you, Will. How nice that you came.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for anything.” He grinned, flicking a warm glance at Kaya. “This is my wife, Elizabeth.”
Mercier’s new bride nodded. “Very nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Kaya said. “Congratulations on your wedding.”
“Thank you. I hope you and Will are enjoying yourselves so far?”
Kaya glanced adoringly at Aric, resting her palm lightly against his cheek for added effect. “We certainly are.”
He went still as her touch lingered, his face taking on a dangerous edge. Faint embers crackled to life in the green depths of his eyes as he stared at her, but then he blinked once and they were gone. He tore his gaze away from Kaya to look at Mercier.
When he spoke, his voice sounded thick and rusty. “Would you mind terribly if I cut in for the rest of this song? I was telling Stasi’s father as we came in that I hoped we’d have a quick chance to catch up.”
Kaya saw their target’s hesitation and she hurried to set the hook. “Oh, Will. They just got married. Let them enjoy their time together.”
“No, no. It’s okay,” Anastasia said. “I’d love to dance with you, Will. And I’m sure Stephan will enjoy dancing with Elizabeth too.”
“Of course.” Mercier’s lips stretched in a tight semblance of a smile, but his eyes remained shrewd and untrusting as his wife stepped into the arms of another man.
Little did he know, at the moment it was Kaya who posed the bigger threat to his happiness. If the Order’s suspicions proved true about Mercier’s support for Opus Nostrum, his glittering world would soon come crashing dow
n around him.
With Aric whisking Anastasia into the growing crowd on the floor, Kaya slipped her hand into Mercier’s and placed her other on his shoulder. He steered her into a mechanical series of steps as the orchestra played and the pavilion swelled with even more people.
Where Aric had been strong and assured as he’d held her, Mercier’s palm was moist against her fingers, his lean body stiff and distracted as he pushed her around the dance floor. Kaya didn’t need the psychic confirmation of her Breedmate ability to tell her that Stephan Mercier was a nervous, agitated man.
Although he’d appeared poised and confident with his bride at a distance, up close it was clear that his mind was a thousand miles away. Kaya only needed to touch him for a few more seconds before she could follow his thoughts to wherever they led. Until then, her main goal was to put him at ease with her long enough for the connection to take root.
She smiled up at him as they waltzed past the small orchestra. “Thank you for indulging my husband’s request to dance with your wife. I promise I’m trying very hard not to embarrass myself by stepping on your toes again.”
Mercier’s rigid face relaxed just a bit at her self-deprecation. “You have nothing to worry about. You’re doing just fine. Would you like me to tell you a secret, Elizabeth?”
“Yes.” Kaya hoped her reply didn’t sound too eager. She intended to know all of the man’s secrets before she was finished with him.
“Dancing’s not really my thing,” he confided. “Anastasia put me through eight weeks of lessons in the hopes I’d come to enjoy it, but I can still think of a hundred other things I’d rather be doing.”
Did that explain some of his distraction? Kaya couldn’t say for sure. Not until she managed to get inside his head, that is.
She laughed in response to his harmless little admission. “Well, have no fear. Your secret is safe with me.”
At least, that one was.
“Hopefully there won’t be any formal dancing required on your honeymoon in Seychelles,” she added, then immediately wondered if she’d gone a step too far when Mercier’s blond brows lowered over questioning eyes.
“You know where Stasi and I planned to honeymoon?”
Shit. Maybe she’d studied the operation intel a bit too closely.
“I’m sorry, I hope you don’t think I’m being rude.” Kaya used her momentary awkwardness to full advantage while she formulated her answer. “It’s just that many of the big social sites and magazines have been talking about this wedding in detail for weeks. It was kind of hard to miss all of the gossip.”
“Ah.” He grunted in acceptance. Thank God.
“Actually, the honeymoon has been postponed,” he volunteered. “Some business has come up that requires my attention here at home. Seychelles will have to wait, much to my bride’s dismay.”
And so what if Anastasia is barely speaking to me since she found out? Does she really think I’m going to walk away from a deal worth a hundred million dollars? The privileged little bitch will certainly be eager to help me spend it.
Kaya swallowed. She had anticipated the moment her mind would infiltrate his, but it still came as a shock to feel the jolt of Stephan Mercier’s thoughts speaking in her head as clearly as his voice.
It took some effort to pretend otherwise while she was trapped in his gaze.
“Oh. What a shame,” she murmured casually. “But I’m sure whatever you have to do is quite important.”
He gave her a mild nod. “Yes, it is.”
Important? You have no idea. No one does, not even Stasi. She wouldn’t understand. Probably not even a hundred million dollars would be enough to make her understand.
In time, she will. I’ll make sure of that.
In time, the whole world will understand.
Then they’ll all recognize me as a hero. But better than that, I’ll be as rich as a goddamned king.
Kaya kept her expression mild, even as a chill swept over her. Although he hadn’t yet incriminated himself in anything other than the prospect a lucrative, if ill-timed, business deal, Stephan Mercier was obviously not the golden, charming man he appeared to be on the outside. That alone didn’t mean he was linked with Opus Nostrum.
The prickling in her marrow nearly had Kaya convinced, but that wouldn’t be enough for Lucan Thorne or the Order. She needed to dig deeper for solid confirmation, and that meant she was going to have to push Mercier harder.
And fast.
Their dance would be ending soon. When it did, there would be no second chance to get this close to him again. Not without his new bride or any one of dozens of the estate’s security personnel standing in her way. Even now, she was well aware of the team of men in dark suits lurking in various points of the pavilion, keeping a careful watch on the Rousseaus’ cherished daughter and the man who’d just married into their politically powerful family.
Kaya regarded him with what she hoped was an admiring gaze. “One thing the wife of a powerful man must learn to accept early on is that she not only wed the man, but his work.”
Mercier nodded approvingly. “How right you are, Elizabeth. And how rare it is to find a woman who recognizes that truth. Perhaps I could persuade you to impart some of your wisdom and advice to Anastasia.”
He gave her a sly wink that made Kaya’s skin crawl. Nevertheless, she laughed as if she were charmed. “I’m sure she’ll come around to seeing things for how they really are. If anyone knows what it means to sacrifice personal wants for the greater good, it’s someone like your wife. After all, she comes from a long line of successful people who’ve devoted themselves to duty and country.”
“That she does.” A mercenary smile stretched his lips. Precisely why I courted her in the first place. That, and the many doors that her family’s name could open for me.
Kaya felt a pang of regret for Anastasia Rousseau. It was obvious the happy, unsuspecting woman thought she’d found her prince, when in reality she’d just bound herself to a snake.
Worse than a snake, if the sick feeling in Kaya’s stomach could be trusted.
Time to poke Mercier’s soft underbelly and see if she could get him to bite.
Kaya shrugged, exhaling a wistful sigh. “Still, it is a shame that the reality of work and obligations has to intrude on a beautiful event for you and your wife. Days like this are such a welcome escape from the fear and terror that’s become our daily routine lately.”
“Yes, they are.” Mercier’s lips thinned in a chilling smile. “But we will never know true peace so long as we’re living among blood-drinking monsters.”
Her stomach clenched. She hadn’t been expecting him to openly express his hatred for the Breed so freely, but he was hardly the first human unafraid to publicly condemn the entire vampire race as monsters. Protesters and militant groups vocally opposed to the tentative truce that had been in place for the past twenty years were epidemic in recent months.
And at the heart of all the strife was Opus Nostrum, gleefully pulling strings and sowing seeds of mistrust on both sides of the problem.
It took immense control to simply continue dancing and smiling blandly instead of defending her friends and the rest of their kind. Kaya’s struggle must have shown in her face. Or in the furious shudder she was unable to contain.
“Have I upset you?” Mercier asked, leaning closer than was necessary. “Forgive me. Weddings are no place for politics or talk of war.”
Kaya froze. “Is that what you think is going to happen--war with the Breed?”
“My dear, it is inevitable.”
Especially if I have anything to say about it.
Very soon, I’ll have a hundred million reasons to make it an absolute certainty that we push the bloodsucking animals into war with mankind.
And then the whole world will beg Opus to eradicate the scourge from the Earth.
Shit. There it was. All the confirmation the Order needed to drop a net on Stephan Mercier.
Kaya didn’t need anythi
ng more from the bastard. But it was difficult to walk away without giving him a dose of truth.
And besides, Aric would still be coming in behind her for the clean-up. After a quick mind scrub, Mercier would have no recollection of anything he and Kaya spoke about.
“You consider the Breed monsters?” She kept a firm grip on him, her blood simmering even as she spoke in a sweetly conversational tone. “They’re not the ones who tried to set off an ultraviolet detonation at a peace summit last month. It wasn’t the Breed who razed JUSTIS headquarters in London a few nights ago, either. Nor did they assassinate half of the Global Nations Council, then boast about it to anyone who would listen. Opus Nostrum did all of that and more. If anyone is ripe for eradication, it’s the cowards hiding behind that organization.”
Mercier’s feet stilled. His eyes took on a wary sheen, but he only chuckled as if she were a dull child in need of schooling. “You have a lot of interesting opinions, Mrs. Bouchard. You might do well to keep some of them to yourself. You never know whom you might offend if a careless statement reaches the wrong ears.”
Her tongue wouldn’t be so loose if she had any idea how many people from all walks of life have quietly pledged their support to Opus. Time to ditch the bitch. Before anyone overhears her and assumes I could be anything but loyal to the cause.
Especially someone like the man who’ll be dropping a cool hundred million from the organization into my bank account in a couple of days.
Mercier’s gaze left hers and flicked out over the crowd. It was a purely reflexive glance that on its own would mean nothing. But having come on the heels of his last thought, the casual search of the reception guests in that moment was more telling than anything else he’d said or thought all day.
Holy shit. Had he just let it slip that one of Opus’s members was here at the estate?
Kaya followed Mercier’s gaze into the crowd that was spread out over the lawn and gardens. At first, she wasn’t sure what she was looking for. But then, she found him.