Phantom Warriors: Linx (14 page)

Her
lids drooped, but she somehow forced them open. They were glazed from the pain
and the shock of the injuries.

"Do
you want me?" he asked.

Her
brow furrowed. "What?"

"I
said do you want me?" Linx asked.

She
gave him an odd look,
then
said, "I'd love to,
but I don't think I'm up for it right now."

Riot
chortled. “I see why you chose her.”

Linx
shot him a censorious look. "I can save you, but what I have to do in
order to do that will bind us together. Do you understand?"

*
* * * *

Tabby
had no idea what Linx was talking about. His words didn't make sense. Her
vision faded in and out. She shivered. She was cold.
So very
cold.
But the pain was fading. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Tabby
knew that wasn't a good thing, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"Bind,
as in forever,” he said. “So I need to know if you are okay with that."
Linx looked so serious. “We don’t have much time.”

She
didn't doubt that he meant every word he was saying, even if it made no sense.
"Forever won't matter because in a little while, I'll be dead." Tabby
tried to laugh, but it hurt too much.

Linx
glared at her. "I'm serious, Tabby. You need to tell me yes or no. I will
not claim you without your permission."

"Claim
me?" The blackness closed in. She knew whatever he meant to do, he'd have
to do fast or death would take the decision away from them both. She looked at
the man, who'd so easily brought out her wild side. Would spending the rest of
her life waking up to that be so bad? Tabby didn't think so. "Okay,"
she murmured as the darkness tried to take her. She fought to keep it at bay.

“You
won’t regret your decision. I swear to you.” Linx let out a heavy breath and
shimmered out of existence. Tabby felt something warm tickle her insides. His
hand touched her back,
then
in a blink it was gone.
She noticed the same tickle, this time stronger.

Pain
returned with a vengeance.

Tabby
cried out.

"Almost
done." Linx kissed her lips and disappeared.

Warmth
exploded inside of Tabby, blinding in its intensity. She had no idea what was
happening, but with each build up some of the pain diminished. She gasped as
she felt a wrenching in her chest.

Linx
appeared again, this time covered in sweat. "You should be able to heal
now. I will pass through you once more after you've rested," he said.

Tabby
looked down at the front of herself, expecting to see a difference, but she was
still covered in blood and bruises. The warm trickle that had been oozing from
her nose and mouth was gone. She tentatively licked her lips. They were
dry...and scabbed over.

"How?"
she asked.

Linx
stared at her with so much love in his eyes that it hurt to look at him.
"I'll explain everything, when you feel better."

Her
eyes drooped closed again. This time she didn’t fight the pull. She let it drag
her under.

*
* * * *

Linx
untied Tabby and lifted her into his arms. He turned as Riot approached.

"Congratulations,
brother," Riot said.

Linx
nodded, but didn't feel relief. He wouldn't feel like celebrating until Tabby
was fully recovered. Even then, it would take years to make up for failing her
so.

"What
are we going to do about her?" Riot pointed to Taylor.

Linx
had forgotten all about Tabby’s sister. "We can't leave her."

Riot
scowled. "You know the rules. Only one woman per mission."

Linx's
jaw clenched. "I am aware of the rules, but that one is my mate's
twin."

"Her
what?" Riot looked back over at the woman cowering in the chair.

Linx
held Tabby's head higher. "Look at her face."

Riot
did.

"Now
look at her." He nodded in Taylor's direction.

"They
are almost the same," Riot said.

"That's
why I can't leave her," Linx said.

Riot
stared at Taylor for the longest time, then slowly turned back to Linx.
"We'll have to hide her on the ship. We can't let anyone know that she's
there." He glared at him. "That won't change once we reach Zaron.
You'll have to find a place for her to stay until you can petition for the laws
to be changed. It's either that or face confinement."

Linx
lifted Tabby higher against his chest. "I'll do whatever is necessary to
ensure the happiness of my mate. Leaving her twin is not an option."

Riot
nodded. "Where will you keep her?"

Linx
looked at Taylor for a long moment, his thoughts churning. "There is only
one place I can think of that will be safe and will go unnoticed."

"Where?"
Riot asked.

"The
Dark King's caverns."

"Hades
will never allow it," Riot said.

Linx
looked at him. "He will not have a choice."

* * * * *

Chapter
Nine

Tabitha
was having the most delicious dream. Her phantom lover was kissing her inner
thigh, his lips teasing her flesh into alertness. A moist tongue glided along
the edge of her panties, nibbling along the crease of her leg. Tabby's eyes
sprang open as a warm breath cooled the liquid trail.

She
jolted up.

Linx
was perched between her thighs, his dark blue eyes glazed with passion.
"You taste like
Zaronian
wine.
So sweet.
Tangy.
Deliciously heady.
You make my head spin."

"Your
eyes," she whispered. "They were different." Tabby looked
around, expecting to see her house. Instead, she found herself sitting in the
middle of a bed inside a small cabin of some sort. "Where am I?"

“Someplace
safe,” he said.

She
frowned. “Are we on a cruise ship?” She’d always wanted to go on a cruise, but
she would’ve preferred doing so, when she was feeling more up to sightseeing.

Linx
gave her a lazy smile. "Not exactly." He leaned down and ran his
tongue along the crotch of her panties.

Tabby's
eyes nearly crossed. "Stop that!" If he didn't, she wouldn't be able
to carry on a coherent conversation.

He
kissed her again, lingering above her clit.

"You're
distracting me," she said.

Linx
worried her thigh with his teeth. "Would that be such a bad thing?"

No.
"Yes!"

Linx
ignored her. One long finger slipped inside her underwear and pulled, tearing
them away. “I thought I lost you. I don’t ever want to experience that level of
fear again.”

Her
heart raced over the sound of conviction in his voice. "We need to
talk," she said.

"Later,"
he murmured, returning once again to the moist seam running between her legs.
He nudged her with his nose and inhaled, his eyes fluttering closed, a look of
sheer ecstasy on his face.

Tabby
tried to push him away, but he was having none of it. Instead, Linx buried his
face between her thighs and began to feast. Tabby dropped back onto the pillows
and groaned.

The
man had the most talented tongue. Abrasive enough to be stimulating, yet soft
when he probed her depths. Linx grasped her thighs and spread them wide.

"I've
missed this. I’ve missed you." He swirled his tongue around her entrance.
"Once was not nearly enough."

Tabby
curled her hands into the sheet and arched her hips. The move brought him
closer, drove his tongue deeper. She gasped as he took advantage and plunged
inside.

Linx
made little growling noises as he at her flesh. Every flick, every nibble
brought a fresh wave of moisture, until she dripped down his chin.

Tabby
bucked, needing to get closer, while wanting to pull away.

Linx
reached out and held her in place as he lapped at her aching entrance, then
slowly glided to her throbbing clit. He didn't immediately pounce. Instead, he
kissed her, gently sucking her swollen nub until stars exploded behind her
eyelids.

"Linx,
please."

He
released her long enough to ask, "What do you want,
mate
?"

The
emphasis on the last word wasn’t lost on her. When Tabby didn't respond immediately,
he pressed down on her clit. She cried out in ecstasy. Her orgasm so close she
could taste it.

"I
want you." She gasped.

"Oh
my dearest, Tabby. Don't you know that you already have me? You had me the
moment that silly hat fell off your head." Linx rose above her,
positioning his hard shaft at her weeping entrance. He flexed his hips,
then
took her mouth in a searing kiss as he drove forward
inside of her.

Tabby
felt him surround her, take her, claim her. His thrusts took on an urgency that
hadn't been there the first time they made love.

She
stilled as the realization hit. They
had
made love. She'd tried to convince herself that it was just sex, but Tabby had,
had sex before and it had been nothing like this. Each thrust brought him
closer to her heart. Each glide of skin branded her soul.

Tabby
wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him close, locking him inside of
her. Linx grunted, but didn't slow his hard and steady ride. Each downward
stroke hit her clit, making it harder and hotter, until Tabby thought she'd
burst.

Her
hands grasped his shoulders and she sunk her blunt teeth into his neck.

Linx
jerked, then bellowed. He reached between their bodies and pressed down on the
bundle of nerves, throwing Tabby over the edge and into the abyss. She cried
out and her body spasmed. Linx thrust hard twice, then slammed forward, locking
himself deep inside of her. Warmth splashed her cervix as he found his release.

They
stayed locked together, breathing hard, bodies drenched in sweat. It took a
while before either had the energy or the inclination to move.

Linx
cupped her cheek and pressed his lips against hers.

"What
was that for?" Tabby asked, feeling exposed and strangely embarrassed.

He
caressed her face. "You are an amazing woman. I am forever grateful to the
goddess for opening my eyes to allow me to see you as such."

Something
inside her took flight. "Thank you."

He
kissed her again, then shifted, taking his warmth with him. The loss was
palpable, but they needed to talk. Tabby pulled the covers around her and took a
good look at the room they were in.

It
was a cabin of some sort. The walls were painted silver and the floors were a
deeper shade of gray. There wasn't much in the space beyond the bed, a small
table, and what looked to be a bathroom of some sort. If they weren’t on a
cruise ship, then where were they? And who thought decorating in silver was a
good idea? They'd obviously never seen a DIY show on television.

“Are
we in Vegas?” she asked.

Linx
shook his head. “No.”

The
last thing Tabby remembered was being at the club. Panic hit as images flashed
before her eyes. Sergei had come to her house. Taken her and Taylor. He'd beaten
the bottoms of her feet, broken her ribs, and Linx... Her eyes widened.
"Where is Taylor?" Her gaze skittered around the room as she searched
for her sister.

"She
is safe," Linx said.

Tabby
glared at him. "That's not what I asked."

Linx
rolled onto his back, so his head was resting in her lap. His dark hair felt
like silk as it touched her bare thigh. Tabby brushed a lock off his forehead,
but resisted the urge to sink her fingers into it. Linx made a sound
suspiciously like a purr.

Tabby
froze. Her mind worked overtime to sort through her memories. She'd been upside
down. She glanced at her ankles. The bruises were yellowed and faded. How long
had she been asleep?

She
concentrated, desperate to remember. There'd been a cat.
No,
not a cat.
A wild animal.
It had been big. Huge
actually. And there'd been a bear. A bear? Then Linx had appeared...and
disappeared.

Sergei
had obviously hit her harder than she realized because nothing made sense.

But
if that were the case, then why wasn't she in a hospital? Shouldn't she be
monitored?

"Where
is Taylor?" For some reason, it was vitally important that she see her
twin. Tabby needed to know that she was alive and that she wasn't going crazy.

"She
is nearby. I can take you to see her after we've talked." Linx sat up.

Tabby's
heart tripped as the weight of his tone settled heavily upon her shoulders.
"What happened?"