Holly turned to him and arched a brow. The one thing in life she was quite arrogant about was her skill as both doctor and researcher. “Not qualified enough, apparently.”
A rich laugh escaped Michael’s mouth. “Confidence isn’t an issue for you, is it?”
Holly pursed her lips. She preferred Sterling’s rather quiet demeanor to the outspoken likes of Michael. “Nor for you,” she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder and turning to replace the jug of juice in the refrigerator. The action gave the men her back, telling them she was done with their remarks.
She replaced the jug and was about to turn when Sterling laughed and said, “He was irritatingly arrogant, even as a human.”
Holly stilled. The room went silent. All three of them knew Sterling had spoken when he shouldn’t have, inviting her to draw assumptions. So Michael wasn’t human anymore?
Mason’s words came back to her. Now he’s like me. What did that mean?
Holly was about to turn and ask what Sterling had meant when she became aware of Mason. She felt him before she saw him, which was unique and unnerving but not unpleasant. She actually felt her skin tingle where his eyes touched. Slowly, she turned toward the doorway.
Mason stood there taking up the entire entrance with his large body, one hand over his head as he leaned on the frame. Momentarily she found herself distracted from her question, consumed by Mason’s presence.
His hair still hung over his shoulders, giving him an untamed, masculine appeal Holly found mesmerizing. His presence was potent in its attack on her senses. But then, it always was.
He wore an expression of aloofness that made her heart sink. His eyes rested on her face, intense and unreadable. Had they been alone she would have gone to him. She longed to wrap her arms around him and make the distance, both physical and mental, disappear, to tell him he wasn’t a monster.
Instead, she motioned to the table. “I made some food,” she said quietly. “Are you hungry?”
Slowly, he stood up straight, giving her a quick nod. “I am,” he said, looking away from her toward the table.
“I’ll get you something to drink,” she murmured in a low voice as he walked to the table and sat down.
When Holly sat a glass of orange juice in front of Mason, Michael said, “Holly wants to tackle our vitamin C deficiency.”
Mason eyes went to Holly’s face, clearly probing for something, but he didn’t speak. Holly fixed him in her determined gaze, trying to send him a silent message. But words seemed needed, so she said, “There are a lot of things I can do to help,” she paused with intent, “if you let me.”
Comprehension flashed in his eyes as he held her stare for long moments. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft but firm. “I never doubted that for a minute.”
She believed him. He was being protective of her for reasons she didn’t completely understand, keeping things from her based on some agenda he felt shielded her from something, but he didn’t lack faith in her abilities. The point she had hoped to make, and she thought she had, was that she needed the full opportunity to help.
She needed to be included.
“I need a lab to work in,” she said sitting down in the only empty chair, which was directly across from Mason.
“Didn’t I mention, I plan to take you to the main government lab? This was just a resting point. You’ll love the facilities there. Everything is state of the art.”
Holly’s stomach flip-flopped. Was he leaving her there, without him?
“You can’t take her there,” Michael said in a hard voice. “The Arions have people inside.”
Mason and Sterling cursed under their breaths.
Expelling a breath, Mason said, “We have a small cavern directly below here that could be used as a lab. The problem is, we need equipment.”
“I could get my things from the University lab,” Holly suggested.
Mason gave her a disbelieving look. “Doesn’t the equipment belong to the school?”
“Some of it,” Holly said, “but my father contributed greatly to that lab. If you take me back, I can get the basics. Of course, depending on what I need to achieve, I may need other things and some assistance.”
“You can’t go back there,” Mason said in an uncompromising tone.
Holly studied him a moment. The hard lines of his expression warned her how on edge he truly was. She didn’t feel like arguing with him. “I could make a list.”
Approval and surprised flashed in Mason’s eyes.
“I’ll go to the lab,” Sterling offered.
“There are other things we need to discuss and act on as well,” Michael said, meeting Mason’s eyes with a silent message clearly passing between the two.
Mason gave him a quick nod and a short, clipped response. “I am well aware of that.” Clearly dismissing the idea of having a discussion at that very moment, Mason picked up a sandwich and started to eat.
Holly could tell the undercurrent of tension suddenly filling the room was due to her presence. Pushing her chair back, she stood up. “I’m going to shower and change.”
“Wait,” Mason said reaching for her hand to stay her. “I’ll go with you.”
The inference that he would actually be showering with her didn’t slip past anyone in the room. Not that it embarrassed Holly. It didn’t. She was more concerned that he hadn’t eaten.
“Don’t you need to eat?” she asked. He looked at her with narrowed eyes and she realized he thought she was avoiding him. In a low voice, she reassured him. “I’ll wait on you.”
His expression softened. “I ate at the cabin.” He pushed to his feet and locked gazes with Michael. “I know,” he said. “We need to talk. And we will. Soon.”
Michael grunted. “There is little time to waste.”
Mason’s lips thinned. “I’m no fool.”
“If you were, I wouldn’t be here.”
The two men stared at one another. It was Mason who gave him a curt nod, breaking the contact and then reaching for Holly’s hand, guiding her to her feet. Mason hadn’t looked away from Michael in defeat, but rather dismissal.
The act spoke volumes to Holly about just how much power Mason yielded. She exchanged a look with Sterling. Michael was dangerous. Both knew Mason could be far more so if and when he chose to be.
But not a monster. A trusted friend to Sterling. And a hero. Her hero. But what was he to Michael?
Chapter Seventeen
Roger blinked into the darkness, feeling as if he was going to lose his mind. Tears burned his eyes. How long had he been tied to this bed? He couldn’t remember. Vague images of sharp, blinding light, followed by shadows and voices, male and female, flashed through his mind.
Time ticked in long minutes. He counted…one, two…one-hundred. Was there any hope of a new tomorrow? Would he die soon? Maybe it would be better if he did. He couldn’t stand the blackness. It swallowed him like a consuming hatred, unforgiving in its torture and its pure longevity. It wouldn’t go away. If only he could.
As if his mind had conjured it, a flash of light made him cry out. It sent shooting pains into his pupils. Why? Why did it hurt?
Then a voice.
A woman.
He couldn’t make himself open his eyes.
The light, it hurt.
“Roger,” a soft, feminine voice purred, offering comfort and perhaps salvation. He knew it. How, he wasn’t sure. But he knew. A soft caress moved down his cheek.
“Yes,” he whimpered,” please, help me.”
“I can make you strong, Roger,” the voice whispered. “Untouchable and more powerful than you ever imagined.” A warm breath moved over his ear. Seductive. Promising comfort and relief and so much more. “I can make you feel like you have never felt before.”
“Who are you?” he asked in a trembling voice, needing to know.
“Open your eyes and look at me.” A kiss brushed his ear. “Open, Roger.”
“I… Yes,” he whispered, blinking,
blinking, trying to open his eyes. “I can’t.”
“Open,” she said, again caressing his cheek with her finger. “You can do it. Open your eyes.”
Slowly his eyes accepted the light. He blinked. Bringing the woman into focus took only a moment once his lids lifted. Long blonde locks fell down her creamy, bare shoulders. She wore a white camisole and looked as pure as an angel. “Holly?” he asked confused, desperate, hopeful.
Could Holly have come to save him?
She smiled. It was a sultry, inviting smile. “No,” she said, “I’m Carrie.” She sat down on the bed and leaned forward, her smell, so similar to Holly’s, a sweet jasmine scent, rushed through his senses.
Leaning forward, she pressed her soft curves against his needy body, slipping her delicate hand along his jaw, pressing her breasts against his chest. Her mouth came close to his, her breath mingling with his. “I can be your very own Holly,” she promised and then brushed her lips across his. “I can be anything you want me to be, Roger.”
His heart pounded in his chest. She was so like Holly and she wanted him. Holly had rejected him. Carrie wanted him. She smiled against his mouth. “And I can make you powerful, like Mason, only better.”
She was saving him, offering him more. He would never feel less than other men like Mason. Could it be true? “What do I have to do?”
Carrie smiled her approval, her midnight blue eyes twinkling with pleasure as she pulled back enough to look into his eyes. “I will be your guide. Just do as I say.”
* * * * *
Gina stood at the monitor and started laughing, an evil, sultry sound. Her eyes met David’s. “So, my dear husband, Carrie was a good find, was she not?”
His expression was hard. “Better if she had mated with one of the men.”
Gina waved a dismissive hand. “Regardless, she’s serving us well.”
His brows inched up. “This Roger is a weak man. She didn’t have to work too hard to persuade him.”
Gina shrugged. “Don’t underestimate her. We wore him down and searched his mind for the exact things to use against him. Besides, all that matters is the result. We get him on the inside of the Black Knights’ planning sessions and we will be set. Nothing will stop us.”
Chapter Eighteen
Stepping into the bedroom with Holly’s hand in his, Mason pulled the bedroom door shut.
“How will they get to the other rooms without coming through here?” Holly asked with apprehension lacing her tone.
He looked down at her, a predatory gleam in his eyes having nothing to do with her question and everything to do with how he was feeling. Holly brought out possessiveness in him. It coursed through his veins like hot lava materializing in different forms. At present it was coming out in a combination of desire laced with a massive dose of emotion.
“There’s an elevator. They can take it and come back around.”
Her brows dipped. “One of those secret panel things, I guess?”
He didn’t answer. She didn’t expect him to.
He could tell the edginess of his mood was making her wary. He couldn’t help it. The desire to claim her, to make her know she was his, was stronger than his need for air. When she had first tried to run from him, he had been hurt. Now he just wanted to make her his, period, the end.
His forever.
But he had also decided he wouldn’t tell her she was his mate. The forever had to come from her heart and her body. That’s where he planned to start, with her body. Here, now and later.
He pulled her close, his arms slipping around her waist. “Why are you acting so nervous?”
Her small, delicate hands, which he loved so much, settled on his chest. Green eyes met his black ones. “I’m not nervous.” She wet her lips with the pinkness of her tongue, tempting him without realizing it. “I just don’t understand your sudden mood change. You were mad and now…”
He quirked a brow. “Now?”
“Now you’re…you’re…something, I don’t know what.” She paused, obviously trying to understand what she saw in him. “Aggressive.”
“Hungry,” he said, lowering his head until his breath caressed her lips. Then their lips touched, a barely-there brush, his senses absorbing their softness with intense pleasure. “For you.”
Unable to wait any longer, his mouth slanted over hers. Impatiently, his tongue slid between her teeth, exploring and stroking. A low moan purred in his throat. God, she tasted good. Holding Holly made him forget everything else. And right now, he just wanted to be with her, to get lost in all she offered and all they could be together.
“No,” she said, pulling back slightly, breaking their kiss, but barely, as if it took will power. Her lips still touched his as she whispered, “We need to—”
He cut her off with his mouth. Contradicting the “no” she had given him, her tongue met his with equal need. Her body seemed to melt into his harder one.
“So sweet,” he murmured as their breath mingled together. His lips lingered above hers as he soaked in her nearness like a healing mist. It didn’t make sense, he knew that, but it felt as if her pureness could save his tainted soul. With Arion blood he would surely need salvation.
Maybe Holly could give it to him.
Once he had thought he could keep a distance from her, to protect her.
Now he wondered if her nearness wasn’t the exact thing that would give him the strength to be all he needed to be. For her. For humanity.
His lips met hers again, his tongue slowly stroking hers. He slid his hands down her tiny waist, across the sexy curve of her hips, and then he cupped the roundness of her bottom. He pulled her against his body, tightly, possessively. She trembled and it wasn’t fear. He could smell her passion, delicious and inviting.
God, he needed her.
But then Holly surprised him, abruptly pushing on his unmoving chest. “No, Mason. We have to talk.” Her voice was soft but urgent. Her chest rose and fell in rapid motion.
He kissed her neck over and over. “Later, Holly. I really need you right now.”
Holly made a soft sound in her throat. Surrender. “I need you, too, Mason,” she whispered and then moaned as one of his hands cupped her breast. “But I don’t want there to be any walls between us,” she managed in a trembling voice.
He froze for several seconds and then let out a short bark of bitter laugher. He raised his head from her neck and looked down at her, letting her see what he was feeling.
Something about her words rekindled her earlier pain. “You don’t think the fact that you think I’m a monster might be a wall between us?” he asked in voice filled with both passion and pain.
“I never should have said such a thing.” She touched his cheek. “I am so, so sorry, Mason. I didn’t mean it. I was angry and hurt and…wrong.”
His eyelids slipped downward as he fought the powerful mix of emotions and desire raging inside, threatening to take control. He needed to make love to her. It was as if he was going to explode without the release of touching her. And he wanted to believe she didn’t think he was a monster, if only for now.
His need wasn’t rational and, while it was on the most elemental level a man needed a woman, it also went far beyond, to deeper reasons. Facing what was before him, who he was, what he was, he needed to feel his connection to Holly, to know he wasn’t alone. He didn’t understand exactly what was happening to him but it burned with fiery need in his veins.
What in the hell was he turning into that he couldn’t even control his physical needs?
She wanted to talk and he just wanted to find a way inside her. “Perhaps I am a monster, Holly,” he said in a low voice.
“No,” she whispered.
He looked up at her. “What if I said I can barely contain the urge to throw you on the bed, tear your clothes off of you and bury myself inside you? Because at this moment, that’s how I feel and, believe me, it’s driven by far more monster than human.” His voice was deep and low, his body shaking ever
so slightly with his barely contained need.
Holly pressed her body to his, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Then do it.”
Her blue eyes, so pure and angelic, like the heavens above, met his. In them, he found a much-needed invitation to take her, to possess her. Silently she told him she understood his need was far more than physical.
He dropped his forehead to hers, his chest rising and falling with heaviness, reaching for restraint. This need, clearly a part of his Arion makeup, consumed and controlled. He didn’t like it. But he couldn’t stop what burned inside him.
Holly tugged at his T-shirt, slipping her small hands to rest on his bare stomach. “Stop fighting it. We’ll talk later.”
He lifted his forehead from hers searching her expression with barely contained lust. If she moved her hands, he might snap. “Holly—”
“I want you, Mason,” she whispered as her hands skimmed his ribs, caressing him with their warmth.
He snapped. A low growl disappeared into her mouth as he claimed her lips, delving his tongue between her teeth, tasting her as if he was a starving man. And he was. For Holly. His mate.
He unleashed what he felt, the powerful intensity of his feelings for her in the kiss, possessiveness, hunger, the absolute need for her. And love. Damn, he loved her. She whimpered into his mouth as her hands slid to his back and her soft curves melted into his hardness. It was like a calling had been answered in his mind and body, even beyond.
Yes.
He picked her up, hands cupping her backside, her legs wrapping around his waist. He went down on the bed, on top of her, while her legs moved to his thighs, wrapping around him as if she didn’t want him to get away.
He couldn’t stop kissing her. Tasting her felt addictive, as if he needed it, needed her, to breathe. His tongue challenged her, wanting everything she would give him, and she didn’t disappoint. She kissed him back with so much passion it felt as if she had become a part of his very being, as if a powerful force had consumed them, pulling them into their own world.