Natural Consequences (62 page)

“You’re the first. Seems like you’re the key player at this point. Alex, you get what we’re trying to do here, don’t you? I mean, I
understand if you don’t like Hauser. Hell, Hauser understands if you don’t like Hauser.”

“Good
for him,” Alex said abruptly.

Keeley shrugged it off. “Monsters are out there preying on people. We can’t just expose them to the whole world. You know how crazy things would get. So we do the best we can here. You could help us do it all a lot better with what you and your friends know.”

“We talk, you let us go, right?” Alex asked. “What about Lorelei?”

“Yeah, I figured that would be the catch for you, huh?” His smile faded. “She’s a murderer, Alex. We don’t get to let that go. We know about one guy she killed for sure, and you and I both know there are more. We’ve only begun investigating all that. She has to answer for her crimes. Whatever has happened between you and her, that doesn’t go away, y’know? I mean, do you think she has told you everything she’s ever done? You really think she’s completely honest with you?”

“No demon has ever lied to me as often as my government.”

“Point,” Keeley snorted. “You’ve got me there.”

“She’s not what you think,” Alex said. He felt too weary and glum to get upset talking about it now.

“She’s not a demon?” Keeley asked. “Not a succubus?” He watched the younger man sigh and take another bite of his sandwich without answering. “I know you love her and I’ve heard what you’ve been through together, but does that make up for murder? Can you tell me why she shouldn’t be punished for all that?”

Alex considered his words as he chewed and swallowed. “I’ve met the sort of people she used to answer to,” he said. “I’ve seen where she came from. I don’t think you or I know the first thing about punishment.”

“You know, we told her that if she comes clean, we’d let the rest of you go. Clean slate for all four of you, no further trouble from us. Think she’ll go for that?”

“Why are you asking me?”

“Because you live with her. Because you’re in love with h
er.”

“I think she’s smart enough not to get suckered by that kind of logic. Sorry.”

“Even so,” Keeley pressed gently, “you’ve seen what she really looks like now. You know she hasn’t been honest with you about everything. You don’t have any doubts about her?”

Alex paused. He lowered the sandwich from his mouth, staring off into space thoughtfully. “You know what’s tough about this relationship?” he asked. “You know what the biggest problem is in being with someone like Lorelei?”

Keeley said nothing, but gestured for Alex to continue. He leaned in to listen.

“All the fucking people trying to
invent
reasons for me not to trust her.”

* * *

“Mostly I hoped to talk to a man who might understand me a little better than ordinary mortal men,” Lorelei said to the increasingly interested agent before her. He couldn’t help but notice how she said ‘man.’ No one in the room could.

“Oh, I understand you, babe,” grinned
Theo, hoping to catch her eyes.

He failed at that. Lorelei only had eyes for
Bridger. “I’d like to understand you much better,” the agent said, feeling his confidence build.

“I believe you could,” she smiled back
approvingly. “Mystics like yourself have so few of the hang-ups and preconceived notions of modern society. You’re already free from so many social mores. So many silly taboos.”

“Well, y’know,”
Theo tried again, “it ain’t just mystics who are open-minded.”

“Theo
, take a break,” Bridger said, his eyes still on Lorelei.

“
Yes, Theo. Take a break
,” Lorelei repeated, holding that gaze. “
Cover for us, will you? And turn off the cameras while you’re away
.”

The last vestiges of
Theo’s common sense and self-control rallied one last time as he blinked. “The cameras…?”

“Yes. That way we’ll have some privacy when you come back to me.
Later
.”

“Oh,”
Theo agreed. His spirits soared as his willpower crumbled. “Right.” With that, Theo stepped out of the room and shut the door.

“Well,” grumbled Rachel, “that’s one less pissy guardian angel I’ll hear from over this—
“ Then she stopped. One less angel. The moment was down to Lorelei and Bridger, the dabbler in sorcery… who by definition had no guardian angel.

“Wow,” Rachel blinked. “That was damn considerate of you.”

“I thought we might have more fun if things were one on one,” said Lorelei.

“I shouldn’t have done that,”
Bridger said without a trace of regret. “Now I’m all alone in a room with a demon.”

“I think you know better than that,” Lorelei said, working him over with her eyes and voice alone. “I think you know these bonds will hold me. Your sorcery protects you. I’m rather more at your mercy than one might expect.”

“I think you’re right,” Bridger nodded, coming closer. “I think you like it, too.”

“It helps that you’re nice to look at,” she conceded.

“Am I, now?”

“Yes. And no ring on that finger. No Mrs.
Bridger at home? No girlfriend?”

“Not a lot of time for romance,”
Bridger shook his head. “Not in my lines of work, anyway.”

“Such a shame,” Lorelei tutted. “So much to offer. So much to appreciate. You have a nice face. I’d love to see more of you.”

“Does that go both ways?”

“Of course,” Lorelei breathed onto his lips. “We were talking about understanding one another better, weren’t we?”

Rachel watched Lorelei kiss Bridger and felt a deep, lustful shudder overtake her. Part of her hoped Alex wouldn’t get too upset over this. Most of her just wanted the show to continue.

One wish came true right away
.

* * *

“We’re on the wrong side of this, Paul,” Nguyen declared as Keeley stepped into the old, barely-furnished break room.

“Y’think?” Keeley frowned. He looked to
Lanier, who sat beside Nguyen at the table rubbing his eyes. “Where’s Bridger?”

“
Theo says he’s in the bathroom, wasn’t feeling well,” Lanier grumbled. “They took demon chick her dinner and that was that. Theo took over for me on the security set-up so I could come talk to you.”

“No problems there?” Keeley asked.

“I didn’t see any. Red Bull and Starbuck’s won’t make for eternal vigilance, though,” sighed Lanier. “I’m sure it’s fine.”

“Well, I wanted
Bridger to be here, but I don’t want to sit conspiring all suspicious-like for long.”

“This might sound dumb,”
Lanier put in, “but do we want Amber here?”

“No,” Keeley shook his head. “No way. She’s too close to all this as it is. I don’t want to drag her into this if it blows up in our faces, either.”

“I already talked to Bridger,” said Nguyen. “He’s of the same mind as us. We have to call. Hauser might bite our heads off for jumping the chain of command, but I can’t see a way around it. Oswalt needs to know what’s happening.”

“
Matt?” Keeley asked, looking to Lanier.

“Yeah. We gotta call.”

“Agreed. Okay.” Keeley let out a long breath. “I’ll do it.”

“It might be a long call,” said Nguyen. “What do we tell Hauser if he asks for you?”

“Know what? I’ll just go on a Starbuck’s run for Lanier,” Keeley grinned. “I can’t shake the feeling that something’s creeping up on me here, anyway.”

* * *

Lorelei sank down onto Bridger’s lap with a grateful moan, savoring the first moments of penetration. She rocked against him for a few moments, closing her eyes to enjoy herself. Her arms were still restrained by multiple handcuffs, but they hardly prevented her from getting what she wanted.

Bridger
’s hands felt good on her naked hips. His lips on her neck pleased her, too. She hadn’t lied to him about his looks. He would be even more attractive when she was done with him, too. Unlike Molly and Onyx, Bridger’s magical wards didn’t block the beneficial changes she made on the bodies of her partners. The hard flesh thrusting into her made that abundantly clear.

She felt glad for it. Not only did it enhance her pleasure, but it seemed the least she could do to make up for his inevitable feelings of regret. Once again, Lorelei was reminded of her soft spot for good guys.

She was also reminded of how good it felt to be genuinely naughty.

Her eyes opened to see
Bridger’s face overcome with passion. She swam in his feelings of lust and pleasure, drawing strength and power with every passing second. Her lips came down onto his, kissing him hard and invading his mouth with her tongue.

Behind the chair, Rachel watched breathlessly. She didn’t feel jealousy, but no display like this could leave her without at least a little envy. Her commentary died on her lips. She didn’t want to spoil the moment.

“Unbutton my shirt,” Lorelei breathed against Bridger’s cheek.

“Mh. You uncomfortable?”

“No,” she grinned fiercely, “but you’ll like what you see.”

Bridger
grinned back. He had no doubt of that. Lorelei leaned back and kept working his sex within hers, demonstrating the incredible strength and control of her lower body to his immense pleasure as his hands fumbled with her shirt. The sight of her breasts encased in a black lace bra gave him an extra thrill. He ran his hands over her belly and up her sides before he unfastened the bra at its center.

Glad for the lustful hands on her breasts, and
then for the mouth that followed, Lorelei let out a sigh of pleasure. Bad enough that she’d had to skip right to this with so little foreplay. It was a shame to reduce this to so brief an experience.

Catching sight of Rachel behind her partner, though, Lorelei focused on her true goals. Pleasant as
Bridger was, she had greater lovers to be with.

“Give in to this,” she hissed into
Bridger’s ear. She leaned forward, eagerly crushing her body against his. Her hips kept moving, masterfully crushing his self-control. “We haven’t much time. Give in to me. Let go.”

“Why… why rush?” he asked
.

“We can’t get caught,” Lorelei reminded him. She fixed him with a wicked
smile. “If we are caught, we can’t do this again.”

Bridger
liked the sound of that. “I feel like I could go any moment.”

“Then let it happen,” she encouraged him.

“But… you?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m not like other women. I will be satisfied. Give in to your urges,
Douglas. Give in to your lusts.
Give in
.”

He didn’t need the extra encouragement, but it brought out his basest desires just the same.
Bridger claimed her hips again with his hands and moved them in tune with his most selfish needs. His breath grew louder as orgasm drew near. Bridger’s eyes opened to the sight of the most beautiful woman he’d ever met swept away by passion. He’d wanted her ever since he first looked at her. Anyone would, he thought. Now he had her in his lap, at his mercy and loving it.

Carnal joys brought him past the point of no return before he knew it.
Bridger watched as Lorelei came in the same moment as his glorious release. They shared a long, passionate climax that forced his eyes shut once more.

The rush subsided. His body began to relax. His eyes fluttered open once more. His eyes drank in the sight of Lorelei’s mostly naked body. She rolled her shoulders as if to work out a kink.
He felt her tense against him.

With a rippling sound of snapping metal, Lorelei pulled her arms apart. Links from each set of handcuffs went flying through the air behind her.
Bridger’s eyes went wide as her hands swiftly wrapped around his head. Her lips came down onto his for one last deep, forceful kiss that stole his breath away.

“
Relax
.
Rest. Sleep
.” She stroked his cheek soothingly. “You were great.”

Bridger
slumped in his seat. Lorelei stepped around him to come face to face with the lover who stood behind him. “Sssoooo,” Rachel managed. “Need an after-fuck drink? Vodka martini, shaken, not stirred?”

She shook her head, taking hold of the angel’s hands. “Thank you.”

“Thank… me?” Rachel blinked. “For what?”

“For understanding. For trusting me. For accepting me for what I am.”

“I’m not the one we need to worry about here.”

“No,” Lorelei agreed. “You are not.” She turned to get back to business. Rachel tugged on her hands.

“You
are
gonna make it up to me later, though, right?”