Claimed

  Dec had stood up as the guards led her away. I’m so sorry, she’d wanted to say. Not that she’d had anything to do with the crimes. But Dec had been dragged into this, pressured by Cacy, guilted by Eli, and now he was stuck with her. He’d done everything he could for her, too. She wondered if annulment was allowed for Ferrys. He deserved to be free from all this crap swirling around her.

  A terrible, writhing frustration had built inside her as she’d stared at the ceiling last night, thinking over all that had happened. She’d known this wasn’t fair to Dec. But what made it really, truly hurt? The longer she knew him, the more she wanted to please him, or maybe help him, even once. She wanted to make him smile, a real smile like in that picture he treasured. She felt a connection to him, and she wanted him to be glad he’d taken a chance on her. But there was no way that was happening now.

  She was going to be transferred to a women’s prison out in Framingham in the morning. She wondered if he’d come visit her, even if just to say good-bye and good luck. Because now that she was probably going to spend the rest of her life behind bars, there was no way she’d finish her research, and therefore her life probably was no longer in danger. Dec could be free.

  She bowed her head and wrapped her arms around herself. She wished she could simulate the feel of Dec’s arms around her, that she could fool herself into believing, even for a moment, that he was here. She could remember the taste of his mouth, his scent, the blue of his eyes, such a cool color, but when he’d looked at her, all she’d felt was warm. “I miss you,” she whispered. “I don’t know how you became so essential so quickly, but you did.”

  Somewhere down the hall, another cell clanged shut. It was such a lonely sound. She’d never minded being alone. Not until now.

  Galena skimmed her fingers across her cheekbones, unsurprised when they came away wet with tears. With her eyes closed, she tilted her head back.

  And felt a trickle of cold air across her damp cheeks.

  Her eyes popped open. Hovering above her head was a growing ring, and within it was the swirling gray world of the Veil. She gasped as it whooshed down over her head, lightning-fast, engulfing her with cold. Enfolded in a steely grip, she instinctively began to thrash and struggle.

  “It’s me,” said Dec, catching her wrist midswing.

  “Dec? What are you—?”

  “Hang on. I need to focus. More Ferrys will be arriving to guard you at any minute.” He closed his eyes as he pressed his thumb to the raven on his Scope. Galena was paralyzed by her surprise, unable to believe he was there, right there. His arm was solid around her, like he had no plans to let her go. His Scope glowed as he brushed his thumb across it, and he shook it wide and peered into the intra-Veil portal. A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Perfect.”

  He lowered the Scope over the two of them, and Galena found herself in a gelatinous gray version of what looked like an old-fashioned log cabin. “Where is this?”

  Dec released her. He lifted his Scope from the floor, compacted it, and then pulled it wide again, creating a window to the real world. “A place to hide.” He widened the ring of the Scope and allowed her to step through.

  It really was a log cabin. As she walked through, she saw a wood-burning fireplace, a small kitchen, a desk, and a bed covered in an antique quilt. A doorway off the kitchen led to a bathroom, complete with a glass-walled shower. A peek out the window revealed a steep brown-gray mountainside. She turned to find Dec clipping his Scope to its setting. His eyes met hers. “We’re on Baffin Island.”

  Part of the newly independent Arctic Circle colonies, incredibly remote. His Scope had carried them more than two thousand miles in the blink of an eye. Still, that was the least stunning thing about this. “Why did you bring me here?”

  He regarded her steadily. “So no one will find us.”

  “But Eli—”

  “He knows. He could find you anyway—Kere can do that, as long as they have a connection to a person. More importantly, he loves you, and I didn’t want to keep him in the dark.”

  She looked around the rustic cabin, which was full of deceptively modern touches and conveniences, like running water, judging by the faucets and the shower, as well as a stove and fridge. “This is yours?”

  He nodded. “I’ve had it for several years, but I’ve only been here a few times. No one knows about it. I wanted a place that was just mine. In case I ever decided to cut ties with my family.” He gave her a sheepish smile. “The last time I was here, I arrived by helicopter. This was much faster.”

  She touched his arm. He was wearing a jacket, she noticed, and boots. And a large backpack. “Dec, why are you doing this?”

  He slid the backpack off his shoulders. “You’re being set up, and I wasn’t about to let you spend another hour in a cell.”

  A million questions were tumbling around inside her head, but she settled on one clear, ringing thought. “You don’t think I did it.”

  “I know you didn’t do it.”

  She couldn’t control the warm laughter that bubbled from her throat. She took two steps forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head against his shoulder. The relief inside her was overwhelming, as was her need to be close to him. “I’m a fugitive,” she whispered.

  “I know. I may be, too, because Aislin will know I had something to do with it. She’s going to be furious.”

  “Why would you risk that?”

  He stroked her hair away from her forehead. “Because I couldn’t stand to think of you being scared and alone.”

  And for that, he’d risked everything. Galena tilted her head up to his, her lips brushing his jaw. “I’m not either of those things now. Because you’re with me.”

  His gaze dropped to her mouth, and his scrutiny made her tongue dart out to nervously wet her lips. His pupils dilated. And then his mouth claimed hers with a barely restrained ferocity that she met with passion of her own. Her hands found his hair, anchoring him to her as his arms coiled around her. His stubble scraped at her chin, and she surged onto her tiptoes, desire rising inside her.

  Galena nipped at his bottom lip, and Dec groaned. His tongue invaded her mouth, gentle but questing, tasting and teasing. Her chest was pressed to his, every part of her pulling tight. She felt the need, low in her belly, pure and strong and heady. For Dec. Only him. Her fingers closed over the collar of his jacket, tugging it away, and a moment later he let her push it off his arms, revealing a long-sleeved T-shirt pulling tight against the muscles of his chest.

  Galena closed the distance between them quickly, eager to feel his mouth on hers again. But Dec caught her hips, holding her body away from him. “This,” he said, taking a few breaths as he leaned his forehead against hers, his eyes closed. “This is where we hit trouble last time.”

  She glanced down to see his erection pressed against the front of his jeans. With the way she was feeling right now, she was willing to give it a try, but then she remembered how last time had made him feel. Like a rapist, he’d said. A pang of frustration and sadness stabbed through her, pushing the truth from her mouth. “I know. But I need you to touch me. Please.”

  His eyes opened. Slowly, his fingertips trailed up her arm, across her injured shoulder, his touch so light that it left only pleasure in its wake. He traced his way up the column of her neck, and Galena trembled, feeling her nipples turn pearl-hard. Dec’s gaze dropped to them like he could sense it. He kissed her again, unhurried and sensual. “Then show me what you want,” he murmured, tilting his head and brushing a soft kiss on the underside of her jaw.

  He hadn’t said it like a challenge, but that was what it was. Galena swallowed hard. You can do this. You have a right to it. “I guess you can’t read my mind, then,” she whispered.

  “I’m working on it.” He drew his tongue along her throat, and she arched back with the pleasure of it, making her wonder if he was a very quick study. But she wasn’t about to make him figure it out alone—she needed to own this.
She reached up and took his hand, and placing her palm lightly over his, slowly began to move it. His skin was the most sensitive of instruments, completely attuned to her. She guided his fingers down her neck, and he followed with his mouth, tiny kisses tracing the path. Her breath caught in her throat as she kept moving his hand lower, as it crossed over the neckline of her silk blouse.

  She watched the motion of their joined hands with wonder as they slid over a breast, but when his thumb stroked her taut nipple, her eyes closed. Slick warmth throbbed between her legs, which nearly buckled. Dec’s thumb kept moving in a slow circle as her body pulsed with need. His head was bowed, their cheeks touching, while he kindled the fire inside her. It was the most amazing feeling, frantic but isometric, fraught but completely still. Like she was pushing against some giant unseen force, every muscle in her body desperate to break through.

  Full of curiosity and hope, Galena nudged Dec’s hand even lower, across her ribs, over her stomach, which quivered at its warmth. Her body was calling for what it needed, and so far, it had been easy to hold back the memories inside her head. But as his hand reached her waist, she realized they had a problem. Her pencil skirt was not going to make things easy. Dec was watching her as she looked up at him, unsure. His angular jaw was hard with tension, but the kiss he planted on her forehead was utterly gentle. “Do you trust me?” he whispered.

  “Yes.” It came easily. And it was completely true.

  “Tell me to stop if you need me to.” His hands skimmed down her sides and came to rest on her waist. “Can you do that? One word. ‘Stop.’ That’s all you need to say.”

  She nodded, tilting her head up to touch her lips to his again. As his tongue slid along hers, his fingers slipped behind her and unzipped her skirt, tooth by tooth, inch by inch, so slowly that it didn’t make a noise. It was like he was waiting for her to call it off. But her desire for his touch had pulled her over that edge, and she wanted to feel his hands on her. She silently promised him she wouldn’t freak out, wouldn’t lose her grip. You want this. You need this. And she did. So much that when her skirt slid off her hips and landed on the floor around her feet, her shiver was mostly from the cool air.

  Mostly. She couldn’t help the tiny snake of fear slithering in her belly, just below the scars. She still didn’t want him to see them, worried how he might react. Would her shirt hide them?

  She broke their kiss and looked down at herself, the expensive skirt pooled around her high heels, her simple white panties, and the pink blouse that was just long enough to cover all the things she wished she could conceal forever.

  “You okay?” Dec’s palm was on the small of her back, warm and heavy.

  She nodded. “I-I just . . . I’m going to keep my shirt on, if that’s all right?”

  He nudged her chin up. “Your call.” His kiss was unbearably sweet. Hypnotic and hot. Same as his hands, one of which had slipped over her ass and was gently kneading her flesh. His other hand was flattened on her belly, his fingertips caressing the silk of her blouse. He wouldn’t feel the scars through it, would he? She put her hand over his again and moved it until his fingertips reached the boundary of her panties. Her body clenched, begging for satisfaction. But as she pushed him lower, as his fingers sank beneath the white silky material and slid over her vulnerable skin, brushing the curls of hair below, a shudder ran through her.

  The blond one shoved his fingers into her as his knife pressed to her belly. “Oh, fuck, that’s tight.”

  Dec flinched. Galena realized she’d sunk her fingernails into the back of his hand. She yanked her fingers away. “Oh God. I’m sorry.”

  His forehead touched hers. “Stop or go?”

  She closed her eyes. The last thing she wanted was to put Dec in the position of touching her when it didn’t feel right to him. She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. “I don’t know.”

  His hands moved to her hips. “I’m going to go slow.” His fingers hooked under the edge of her panties, and he began to draw them down. His lips brushed a spot on her neck just beneath her ear, and Galena bit her lip, the craving taking her over again. He kissed the base of her throat, his tongue tracing the bony hollow there. She put her hands over his, urging him on as his face slid along the silk of her blouse, his hot breath wafting against her breasts, and gradually skimmed lower. Her heart felt like it wanted to burst from her chest as he got to his knees. “Stop?” he whispered.

  Their hands had frozen low on her hips, her panties barely covering her most vulnerable parts, the places where she needed him most, despite the fear.

  “You’re safe, Galena. You will always be safe with me.” His nose grazed her hip, and then she felt his tongue slide down to her thigh. Her head fell back, and she pushed their hands lower, until she could reach no farther. It was a surrender, letting him take over, and he seemed to feel it, because he carefully slid the scrap of fabric down her thighs, over her knees, down to the floor. One by one, he lifted her feet, freeing her. She couldn’t help the way her legs were trembling as the air hit her core, making her shake with vulnerability.

  Dec took off her shoes, and each movement of his hands was a caress, stoking the flames. He guided her feet a little farther apart, and Galena felt the floor drop out from under her as his tongue slid up her inner thigh. Dec’s grip on her tightened, keeping her from falling. “Take a few steps back,” he murmured, and guided her, his hands on her hips again.

  Galena followed his lead until the soft fabric of the quilt tickled the back of her thighs. His hands skimmed down to her knees as she sank onto the mattress. She couldn’t believe this. She was naked from the waist down, and he was right there, pushing her knees apart. She lay back and closed her eyes tightly as he smoothed his hands down her legs and back up, a soothing, gentle motion. He kissed her inner thigh, and she pressed her lips together. He was kneeling between her legs. He could see her. All of her.

  As if he heard her thoughts, he reached up and took her hand, locking their fingers together. “Yeah?” he asked, nibbling at the side of her knee, each brush of his lips making her hotter.

  She squeezed his hand. “Yeah,” she whispered. Her heels came to rest on the hard muscles of his shoulders, her toes curling as his mouth trailed higher, the warm, wet tip of his tongue tracing a delicate path up to the center of her. Galena trembled, eager but terrified. What would happen when he—

  With one long, devastating lick, Dec tasted her for the first time. The vibrations of his moan made her inner muscles tighten with need. She whimpered as the soft firmness of his mouth reached her tiny, sensitive bud. He flicked his tongue over it, and she arched back, spreading her legs, offering him more. He started slowly, circling his tongue around it before pressing harder, making her cry out from the tingling pleasure it sent coursing across her skin. Her hips rose, her body moving on its own. Dec drew his tongue up and down, exploring, as Galena lost herself in molten, irresistible throbbing.

  He didn’t use his fingers—only his tongue, his lips, his breath. But they were more than enough. Galena could feel the slickness of her own arousal, and she knew he must be tasting it, that his tongue was slippery with it. His face was buried between her legs, one hand still skimming up and down her inner thighs, reassuring, calming, while the rest of her coiled tighter and tighter. For a moment, Galena forced herself to open her eyes. She raised her head to find his gaze riveted to hers. As she watched, Dec lifted his mouth from her and licked his lips. And then he leaned down, teasing her clit with his tongue, sending sharp pangs of hard pleasure shooting through her. Galena moaned, and her head fell back again, her hips undulating in time with his tongue as it delivered long, probing licks up and down her folds.

  “Still yeah?” he rasped.

  “Dear God, yes.”

  His hand tightened over hers a second before she felt him slowly push his tongue inside her. Galena moaned. Her heels slid to his back. It was exactly what she needed: the pressure, the friction. Her fingers tugged at his hair, urging him on. H
e wrapped a hand around her thigh and locked his mouth against her, thrusting deep a few times before returning to her clit. She cried out, her pleasure spiraling, her hips canted up and begging for more. More. He couldn’t stop. She didn’t want this to ever stop. But she was too lost to form words.

  Dec didn’t seem to need them. He translated the tensing muscles, her ragged breaths, the urgent bucking of her hips, the tangle of her fingers in his hair. He picked up the pace, fluttering his tongue against her until the wave broke and ecstasy crashed over her, stars exploding behind her closed eyelids and a helpless cry falling from her lips. But he still didn’t stop, thrusting his tongue inside her as her inner muscles spasmed, as he tasted her from the inside out. It only prolonged the pleasure, and when she became aware of herself again, her hips were halfway off the bed and she was clutching Dec’s face to the center of her, every muscle taut.

  Slowly, she sank back, her breaths still bursting from her throat, tears starting in her eyes. She began to shake, feeling it rising up from the lingering pleasure inside her, wringing her out. She’d never thought she’d feel this way again. She’d thought it would never be possible. But somehow, Dec had brought this out of her, coaxed it to the surface and let it spread its wings. Still panting, a tear slipping from the corner of her eye, she propped herself up on her elbows to look at him. His head was bowed against her inner thigh. “Dec?”

  “Yeah,” he said, a little hoarsely. “You okay?”

  “Better than okay,” she said. “You?”

  “Fine,” he said. “Um . . . can you excuse me for a minute?”

  “What?”

  He sat up and wiped his mouth. “I just . . . I’ll be back in a few.” He got up quickly and walked into the bathroom off the kitchen.