Close Contact (17 page)

I even had time to make sure the outfit Treya had loaned me didn’t get damaged in the fray. The thought of having to tell her I’d ruined it was
almost
scarier than an angry Sumantti.

After twenty minutes of constant sparring, it occurred to me I had a problem. While the activity might seem slow and easy for me, my opponent was getting a real workout. Sweat rolled down Durtran’s face, and his hands were slick with it. I, on the other hand, was cool and dry, not even breathing hard. And while I could pretend to pant, there was no way to fake sweat.

So how could I let him win when he was obviously in more distress than I?

“Tell Marcus to do something to stop this!” I told Lillith. “I don’t dare let Durtran win, and I won’t beat him. He’d be humiliated for life. Not to mention confirming Zeller’s suspicions about me.”

As Durtran drew in an exhausted breath and came at me again, I saw Marcus straighten, hesitate for moment, and then lean toward the king.

Blocking the guard’s move, I danced out of reach, trying to give Marcus more time with my evasion tactics.

To my relief, the king nodded, and then stepped forward, hands raised. “Enough! I hereby declare the match a draw. You’ve both represented yourselves very well indeed. Durtran has upheld the standards of my guards, and Echo has proven without a doubt that women can be excellent fighters.”

There was a smattering of polite applause as Durtran swiped his sleeve across his damp brow. “You’ve taught me a valuable lesson today, my lady,” he said before the others reached us. “Never again will I underestimate the skill of an opponent based on sex alone.”

“Well, I’m not exactly your average female,” I told him modestly.

“No, you’re not. Your father exceeded himself with your training. Don’t think I’m not well aware you could have bested me from the beginning. I owe you for allowing me my pride. If I had lost, it would have meant resigning my commission. If ever you need my assistance, please ask.”

I was trying not to gape at him when Reynard, the king, and Marcus reached us. Everyone else drifted away, and I saw Zeller duck out the door. My attention was still focused on his retreating back when the king grabbed my hand and raised it to his lips.

“You were wonderful, my dear. If I’d seen you first, Reynard wouldn’t have a chance of winning you from me.”

Gently, I extracted my hand from his grip. Because I’d been created for the Department of Protocol, my repugnance at having my hands touched wasn’t as great as it was for other GEPs, but it had taken intensive aversion therapy for me to reach this level of tolerance. And nothing was ever going to make me like it.

“Thank you, sire. If I might be excused, I’d love to find a place to freshen up a bit.” And even more, I’d love to see what had Zeller rushing from the room.

“Of course.” He beamed at me like a proud father. “Reynard can show you to a room.”

Marcus opened his mouth to protest, and I hastily contacted Lillith. “Tell Marcus to shut up. His reputation as my guardian will simply have to suffer this time. I need to catch up with Zeller.”

His mouth closed and he gave a grim nod.

Taking the commander’s arm, I urged him to quicken his steps as Peri took to the air and darted ahead of us. Although it seemed like hours since Zeller left, it had only been a few minutes, and the second we were through the doors, I looked in the direction he’d gone.

The hall was well lit and I had no trouble seeing the three men huddled together, halfway down, talking in furious murmurs.

Unfortunately, they didn’t have any trouble seeing us, either. Both Zeller and Chine glared at me, but the third man turned away quickly and faded into the room behind him.

He was too late, though, because I’d recognized him instantly. Losif Strand, leader of Helios One. It really
had
been him I’d seen at the gathering.

With one final optical death ray aimed in my direction, Zeller and Chine hurried into the room behind Strand.

“Lillith, send a red alert to Dr. Daniels,” I told the ship,
actually speaking aloud so Reynard would know, too, as we went down the hall. “Losif Strand is on Madrea.”

“Sending. Did he recognize you?”

“Oh, without a doubt. We’ve never formally met, but we’ve been in the same room often enough that he’d know who I was. How did he get on Madrea without you seeing his ship?”

“They probably approached from the other side of the planet, and then landed just out of my sensors’ range.”

“That would imply they know you’re up there.”

“Yes, it would.” She sounded downright grim. “I wish I could deploy my satellites.”

“Ask Dr. Daniels to send a Federation ship to monitor the space from a distance.”

“I will, but it could take a few days. A large percentage of the unattached fleet is conducting maneuvers near Andromeda, and the ones that are patrolling outside Madrea’s planetary system are too large to jump in closer. They’ll have to use conventional engines to get here.”

“Fine, but tell them to come as fast as they can.”

I hadn’t paid attention to where we were going, concentrating on my conversation with Lillith instead. We stopped outside a door that looked vaguely familiar, and the commander opened it and ushered me inside.

No wonder it looked familiar. He’d brought me to his quarters. There wasn’t time to think about those ramifications, however. As Peri settled onto a table, gave a prodigious yawn and curled into a tired ball, I moved to the bed, sat down and looked at Reynard.

“That room the men went into, does it have another exit?”

“Yes. It’s one of the king’s small central meeting rooms, and can be entered at either end. It’s often used as a shortcut so people can get from one side of the castle to the other without going around the long way.”

“Okay.” I took a breath and braced my body. “When my psi ability first began to manifest, I ‘saw’ you having breakfast without actually showing up in front of you. I’m going to try it again with Zeller.”

He frowned. “What if it doesn’t work and they see you?”

I shrugged. “They can’t hurt me in my ghost form. At worst, it will simply expose my ability to them. And while I’d rather that not happen, knowing what they’re doing is more important right now.”

Eyes closed, I concentrated on building an image of Zeller in my mind. Medium height, stocky build, greenish squinty eyes. Instead of letting it reach the page-ruffling stage, though, I tried to mimic what I’d done with Reynard and treat this as I would a daydream.

He would be with Chine and Losif Strand, so I sketchily added the other two men to my mental picture, and made the room around them deliberately hazy. When I had it fixed to my satisfaction, I gave a gentle push.

Abruptly, my image of the room solidified to include a glossy table surrounded by four chairs, and a desk full of scrolls. Both Zeller and Chine were staring at Losif like he’d grown a second head.

“You’re sure?” Zeller asked.

“Positive,” Losif’s smile was feral. “Not only is she a Federation agent named Echo Adams, two cycles ago her indenture was purchased by the Department of Alien Affairs because it was discovered that Simon Gertz was her creator.”

At Gertz’s name, Chine went pale, but Zeller only looked puzzled. “Who is Simon Gertz?”

Losif glanced at Chine. “Why don’t you explain?” He went to a sideboard and poured a glass of wine.

“Simon Gertz is a rogue geneticist who tampers with the DNA of those he creates, giving them unknown psychic
abilities. According to the book Braxus has about the Smith woman, the Gertz GEPs are also stronger, faster, smarter and nearly impossible to kill, since their wounds heal instantly.”

“And it’s all true,” Losif added, swirling his glass. “The only thing we don’t know is what her psychic ability is. But be assured she has one. Gertz is well known for his ingenuity.”

“What are we going to do?” Zeller blurted. “This changes everything. We thought there would be more time before the Federation discovered where the crystal was located. Now they not only know we have it, they’ve sent a woman we can’t hurt to stop us and retrieve the crystal.”

Losif drained his wine and then sat the glass aside. “The only thing this changes is our timeline. We’ll have to speed things along, put our plans into action now. Once we have control of the Sumantti, not even Echo Adams will be able to stop us.”

He crossed to the other two men and slapped Zeller on the shoulder. “Come, I want to see if the men have started loading my ship yet. And you can reassure your chieftain that the woman won’t be an obstacle much longer.”

As soon as they left, I banished the image and opened my eyes. Reynard was crouched in front of me, a worried look on his rugged face, and Peri was snoring away from her position on the small table.

“Well, schite. Not only do they know who I am, they know
what
I am. The only thing they
don’t
know is what kind of psi ability I have.”

“Did they see you?” he asked anxiously.

“No, they didn’t. This ability does have its good points, and unlike you, they weren’t even aware that someone was watching. What bothers me is that Losif Strand didn’t seem too worried about me. From what he said, he has plans to stop me from completing my mission.”

The commander surged to his feet and reached for the hilt of his sword. “He plans to hurt you?”

Now wasn’t that the sweetest thing ever? He wanted to defend me. It was enough to make my heart leap with joy, and it was an effort not to smile from sheer happiness. But since I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, I kept my expression serious when I answered.

“He didn’t say for sure, but he knows enough about Gertz GEPs to understand that hurting me won’t work. I’ll heal too fast. He also knows I’m not easy to kill. From what Kiera said, it would take a direct blaster shot to the head or heart, and if I know it’s coming, I’m fast enough to dodge. I suspect he has something much more diabolical in mind. I just wish I knew what it was.”

“Whatever he plans, he’ll have to go through me first. I’ve never cared for the man.”

I arched a brow at him. “You know him?”

“Yes, but not as this ‘Losif Strand.’ He’s the black marketeer who takes our sunstones in exchange for the books Braxus wants.”

“Well, that explains how he can move around the castle so freely. But he’s no trader, legal or otherwise. He’s the leader of Helios One, and he wants control of Madrea’s sunstone trade.” A troubling thought occurred to me. “How many sunstones has the king given him?”

“Several chests full. Why?”

I chewed on my lip for a second while I thought it through. “Because each sunstone is worth a sizable fortune in the Federation. And I have a feeling he’s taking a ship full of them every time he comes to Madrea. I heard him tell Zeller and Chine he wanted to go see if his men had started loading the ship yet. So what is he doing with them?”

We were silent for a minute, mulling over the possibili
ties. “Lillith, see if there’s been a sudden influx of sunstones on the market.”

There was a pause as she checked. “There’s been a few turn up, but not what I’d call an influx, and the Federation
does
have a small supply they use for research.”

“Trace them down. If there’s even a hint of a sunstone for sale in the Federation, I want to know who’s selling it and where they got it.”

“This could take a while,” the ship told me.

“That’s fine.” I smiled at Reynard. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to do, anyway. Now seems to be the perfect time.” I stood and moved in on him.

“L
illith, tell Marcus not to wait up for me.” I flattened my hands on Reynard’s tight abdomen and slid them up to his well-muscled chest, relishing the feel of hot skin under the warm silk of his shirt.

“I’ve finally got you to myself.” My smile was sultry as I looked up at him. “No guardian to protect you from my mercenary clutches.”

My heart rate went up a notch when he slid his hand down my arm, and I leaned closer to inhale his scent. He smelled so damn good. Like soap and shampoo, but with an underlying scent that was uniquely his. It was, I decided, sexier than any exotic male cologne I’d ever smelled before in the hallowed halls of the Federation Council.

“Reynard.” I kept my tone soft and low. Keeping a tight rein on my emotions, I went up on my toes and teasingly brushed his lips with mine. Then I pulled away enough to see his face. “Are you still worried about propriety?”

Scarlet flooded his cheeks, but his eyes heated with desire. “To hell with propriety.”

He curved his hand around the back of my neck under my hair, his thumb caressing the skin just below my ear as
he pulled me against his body. The motion sent chills of anticipation all over my body.

The mixture of elation and desire that slammed into me left me weak and shaking. Holding me tightly against his hard length with one arm, he tilted my chin up with his free hand. As soon as our lips met, mine parted. He let his tongue skim the opening, teasing me as I had him, tasting, tempting until I was dizzy with the sweetness of his actions.

When he finally let his tongue slip farther inside, I made the same sound he had made, the one that had been driving me crazy since I’d first heard it, and I couldn’t stand it another minute. My mouth took possession of his and I plunged all the way in. He met my parry thrust for thrust, fighting for control of the kiss, and I almost came unglued.

A groan of loss tore its way from deep inside me when he eased back.

Gently, he took my hand and raised it to his lips. “Echo, I want you so badly it’s killing me, but before we do this you must understand that as long as my vow to the king stands, I’m not a free man.”

“Neither am I, if you want to get technical about it. Alien Affairs owns my indenture and I have to work for them until it’s paid off.” I slid my hands down his chest and unbuckled his belt, tossing it and the sword onto the chair. “Reynard, I’m not asking you to marry me. I’m only asking for this.”

I brushed my hand over the front of his trousers and encountered exactly what I’d expected to find.

“Echo.” His voice was strangled, and I knew any thought of denying this pleasure had fled right out of his head.

There was a look on his face I’d never seen before, a sudden gleam of determination. And more, so much more. When his mouth claimed mine this time, I knew there would be no stopping for either of us.

Again, his arms slid around me, and he realized I was
standing on tiptoe, straining to reach him. He straightened, bringing my feet completely off the floor while he supported me. “Put your legs around me,” he murmured against my lips.

Worked for me. As I complied with no hesitation at all, he slid his hands under my bottom, pulling me tightly into him. We held that position for a while, kissing deeply. Then he turned toward the bed and lowered me to the blanket spread over the plush mattress that smelled fresh and clean.

Sitting back on his heels, he gazed down at me before his hand skimmed over my halter top, grazing a breast that instantly hardened. The action caused my eyes to glaze and I inhaled sharply. As he let his fingers trace the mound, outlining its erect shape, my head went back and I arched against his hand.

Suddenly touching wasn’t enough. I wanted to feast my eyes on his naked body, explore until he was moaning with pleasure. I wanted to torment him with pleasure until he was writhing in the same agony of desire that tormented me.

Moving carefully, I sat up, tugged his shirt loose, and pulled it over his head. Next, I slid off the bed and removed his boots. With that out of the way, I undid his trousers and maneuvered them off his legs. And while I was stripping him, he was busy returning the favor, dodging my hands to unfasten my halter top and loosen my skirt until it pooled at my feet.

For a long time, we simply filled our senses with each other, and his gaze was so filled with desire and yearning that a lump formed in my throat. No one had ever looked at me that way before, like I was special, like I really meant something to them.

It made me realize how much I’d missed out on, how very badly I’d miss it again when it was time to leave him behind.

“Echo,” he whispered, refocusing my attention. He pulled me back onto the bed, and while his hands found my breasts, his mouth covered mine again just in time to catch my whimper.

He moved to my neck and traveled downward as he slid his hand over the warm skin of my abdomen, and for a moment he let it rest there, driving me insane with anticipation before he moved on.

I’d been right. He was even more glorious now than the first time I’d seen him, stepping out of the tub. My oft-repeated memory of the event hadn’t done him justice. Had there ever been another man like this one?

Not that I could remember, and I was pretty sure I
would
remember if I’d felt this way before. Right now it was enough to know that he really cared for me, but I had a horrible feeling I was going to pay dearly for this night. Because with every sigh, every touch, I was falling a little deeper in love with Reynard du’Marr. The one man I couldn’t have.

When he leaned over to kiss me again, this time deeply, slowly, thoroughly, I turned to meet him. I wanted to feel his body pressed tightly to mine, all the way down.

It seemed like an eternity before his mouth trailed down to my breasts, but when he took a tender nipple between his teeth and flicked it with his tongue it took all my willpower to keep from screaming with pleasure. It took forever for his hand to find its way back to the throbbing ache between my legs, but when it did, when he caressed me with light circular motions, I knew ecstasy was moments away.

His murmured reassurance was lost in the pounding rush of my own heartbeat. Then he was kneeling between my thighs, his hands on my hips pulling me into him. I could tell he wanted to plunge, bury himself as deeply as possible, but he didn’t.

With his teeth clamped together in effort, he entered
slowly, just a little at a time, pausing with each movement to give me time to adjust. What seemed like hours later, he was finally fully encased, and I was afraid to move, afraid to even breathe. The sensation was so exquisite that even the smallest twitch could send me hurtling into space.

Reynard lost control. Holding my hips in place with his hands, he drove into me, withdrew, and then drove again, my name a groan on his lips. My scream of joyous release yanked his gaze to my face, and what he saw there destroyed what little restraint he had left. “Oh, sweet mother,” he gasped. “Echo!”

I was in the throws of yet another wave of spasms when he exploded, endlessly, intensely, his moan of release bouncing off the walls, seeming to shatter into a million pieces. With no choice, he followed me into oblivion.

I had no idea how much time had passed when I finally began to surface back to the here and now, Reynard’s weight adding to the lethargy that pervaded my body.

Unwilling and unable to withdraw, he rolled onto his back, taking me with him. After a moment he brushed away the wild mop of hair that hid my face. “Echo?”

“I was wrong,” I whispered.

He wrapped his arms around me, his hands sliding possessively over my back as he began to move gently again. “Wrong about what?” He could barely get the question out.

A moan escaped from deep in my throat as my body matched his rhythm. “I thought I could stop myself from falling in love with you. But I was wrong.
I love you
, Reynard.”

Lifting a hand, I covered his lips. “You don’t have to say anything. It’s my problem, not yours.”

His body went still as I spoke, and then he sighed. “From the moment you walked through my door the first time, I knew you were the one, the same way I know what is right
and what is wrong. No other woman has existed for me since that day, and never will again.
I love you
, Echo.”

Tears filled my eyes as we made love again. He couldn’t leave and I couldn’t stay. All we had was now, and it would have to last us a lifetime.

“Echo. Echo!”

“What?!” I opened my eyes and glanced around, taking in Reynard’s room.

“If you want to make it back to Marcus’s house before you mortally embarrass him and cause Jancen to issue a challenge, you need to go now,” Lillith told me.

“What time is it?” I asked, sitting up reluctantly and pushing the mop of hair out of my eyes.

“About ninety minutes until sunrise. Some of the shopkeepers are already out and about.”

I glanced down at Reynard. He was sprawled facedown on the bed, the blanket barely covering him enough to be modest. We’d made love several times during the night, napping or talking in between, and I hated to wake him. On the other hand, if I didn’t, he’d be upset with me. Just because we’d made love didn’t change the fact that he was a Madrean male through and through.

As though to prove it, he turned his head on the pillow and gazed up at me. “Don’t even think about sneaking off without me.”

He was so sexy with his eyes all sleepy, his hair mussed and spilling onto his forehead, and heavy stubble on his jaw. So much that I couldn’t stop my grin. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” Reaching over, I patted his butt. “But as cute as that part of your anatomy is, you need to get it out of bed before Marcus has to fight a duel on my behalf.”

I jumped out of bed and began gathering clothes, sorting mine from Reynard’s as I went, and tossing his on the
bed. When there was no noise from that direction, I glanced over my shoulder and frowned. He’d rolled onto his back and stacked his hands behind his head.

“Why aren’t you getting up?”

He grinned. “Because I’d rather enjoy the view.”

“Ha ha.” I threw his shirt at his head, forcing him to catch it or get slapped in the face. “Enjoy later, dress now.”

“Will there be a later?”

“Count on it, even if I have to smuggle you through the window. After all, Bim can’t stand guard forever. The man has to sleep sometime.”

Taking my word for it, he finally got up and began dressing while I finished. When I had my knife back in place, I looked around the room and cursed.

“What?” Reynard pulled his shirt over his head, momentarily muffling the question.

“I left my cloak in the great hall.”

“I’ll find it and return it to you later. We’d be noticed if we looked for it now.”

“Thanks.”

Peri still hadn’t stirred, so I poked her. “Come on, lazy bones. We have to go.”

She opened one eye, grumbled at me, and went back to sleep.

With a sigh, I picked her up and cradled her warm body in the crook of my left arm, being careful of her wings. She didn’t even twitch.

“Ready?” I asked Reynard.

“Yes.” He went by me and opened the door. “We’ll go out the same way you did the first day you were here. There are fewer sleeping quarters in that direction, but we’ll still need to be quiet.”

Together, we moved silently down one hall after another, until we reached the small door leading outside. Reynard
stepped through it and looked in both directions before motioning me forward.

After that it was a short trip to Marcus’s house. With a final lingering kiss, Reynard left me at the back door just as the first pale rays of light broke over the horizon.

Carefully, I eased the door open, praying it didn’t squeak, and then jumped in surprise when it was pulled out of my hand from the inside. Instinctively, I reached for my knife before I recognized the person staring back at me.

Guiltily, she held a finger to her lips and leaned closer to me. “I’ll keep your secret if you keep mine,” she whispered.

“Of course,” I answered. “Why are we whispering?”

A satisfied smile lit her striking face. “Marcus is still asleep, and it’s better he doesn’t know we ran into each other. Men can be so silly about things like this.”

I thought about Reynard sneaking me through the halls of the castle, and nodded. “You’re absolutely right.”

She touched my arm and then slid by me. “I’d better go. I’ve already stayed later than I should have. I left a package in your room. It’s on the bed.”

“Thanks.” I watched as Cammi hurried around the side of the house, heading for the main road that would take her back to the field where the gathering was being held.

Huh. No wonder Marcus hadn’t insisted on leaving the supper with me and Reynard. I let out a soft snort. The old letch. I just hoped Leddy hadn’t seen him bringing Cammi home for the night. She might stop cooking such wonderful food for the Terpsichore if she got upset.

Making sure the back door was firmly shut, I tiptoed to my room and deposited Peri on the pillow before picking up the large cloth-wrapped bundle Cammi had left.

Gingerly, I unwrapped it and then stared in wonder at the costume on top. It was the purple one, the one that was the
same color as Peri’s feathers, and shot through with silver thread.

Cammi was undoubtedly a genius with needle and thread, because it put the red outfit Treya had loaned me for my first dance to shame. The top was halter style, as were all the Bashalde women’s, and there was a short veil to go with it. But the skirt was completely different. Instead of flaring from the belt as usual, the material was crossed in the front and pulled tight so it would cup my bottom snugly. From there, it swirled to full, beginning at the top of my thighs and continuing to ankle length.

Cammi had even included a packet of silver jewelry to go with it. I glanced quickly at Peri to make sure she was still asleep and then hid the pouch in a drawer before turning back to the costume.

It was the most gorgeous outfit I’d ever owned, and I decided that when I left Madrea, it was going with me even if Lillith had to land in the middle of Bastion City so I could retrieve it.