Tangled Shadows (16 page)

Galen chuckled. “That’s how you imagine it. Nikolai and I don’t visualize our minds in the same way,” he said in real life.

“Maybe because we knew what to expect when it happened,” Nikolai said.

“What happened?” Brooke asked.

The men only grinned.

Brooke gritted her teeth. Great, another test. She pushed it to one side and dug deeper for their plan. When she found it her jaw dropped.

The link snapped.

“This must be the stupidest plan I’ve seen in the history of plans.” The men only shrugged. “It’s what we’ve got,” Galen said.

Brooke threw her arms into the air and glared. “How did you find out about the explosion on the
Nebokka
?”

Confusion darkened Galen’s eyes. “We received the intel as an anonymous tip.” She snorted. “Of course. And the barrier in my mind? A Vampire and a Naema worked together to create something that could’ve fried your asses while you attempted to dismantle it. Do you honestly believe this is all coincidence?” Her voice grew louder with each word.

“We don’t.”

Nikolai’s calm words took the power out of her hyperdrive-engine. “You don’t?” He rose from his chair and sat next to Galen, pulling his lover’s embrace around himself. “No.”

“If you know you’ve been targeted, why in Jade’s name would you go into the lion’s den?”

“What else can we do?” Galen asked.

Brooke opened her mouth as if to answer, but she couldn’t. What
was
the alternative?

She began to pace. “We could go in with back-up and force him to surrender.”

“What about irrefutable proof? And you know he will kill any hostages as soon as he sees us approach.” Galen stroked his finger up and down Nikolai’s neck.

“Give me a moment,” Brooke grumbled.

107

The men watched her in silence as she marched back and forth on the bridge. There had to be another way.

Nikolai stretched his arm out, offering his hand. “
Milaya
, as long as he believes the barrier is still in place and that we’re working on dismantling it, Silas will not attack us.

Using you meant there would be no link back to him. The community has a number of permanent residents. Dying or disappearing while visiting him will raise questions he won’t want to answer.”

She wasn’t yet ready to listen. Their plan was ridiculous and would get them killed.

“We will spread rumors as well,” Galen interrupted her mental ranting.

“What rumors?”

“Little hints we’ve had a falling-out with the Council, about their unhappiness with our progress. How they think we’re too slow and should have broken through your mental barrier by now.”

“How?”

Galen smirked. “We know a few of the people on the Ferals’ payroll. Snippets of transmissions will leak to the right ears and Silas will hear about our presumed failure.”

“It’ll make him feel more secure and superior,” Nikolai said.

“And while you’re on your super-secret mission, you decided to make a quick stop and visit an old friend with your suspect, who you’ve turned into a blood slave, in tow.

Really believable,” Brooke protested.

Nikolai’s lips twitched. “We are close to where the
Nebokka
exploded and we’re working hard at getting to your memories. He’ll happily believe we’ve been incapable of breaking through his Vampire-Naema trap. He’ll savor his victory.”

“How are you going to explain me? Why would I allow you to keep me as a pet, a blood slave?”

“In an attempt to break your shield I’ve begun to drink your blood and liked it. I’ve also seduced you for your compliance. As we’re suspecting you of being a criminal, I have no scruples about using you.”

Something sharp stabbed Brooke’s heart. She held her face as expressionless as possible. His words had hit too close to her fears. Were they using her?

She cleared her throat. “And Silas will believe it?” Nikolai shrugged. “He knows I can be ruthless and the stakes are high enough for me to use unethical means. In his opinion nobody can withstand Vampire powers, so he’ll gladly believe that you’ve dropped all thought of what happened just to be with me.”

“Arrogant jackass,” Brooke muttered. She could play the brainless bimbo to get this monster. Something occurred to her. She captured Nikolai’s gaze. “I’ll need fang marks to prove you’re using me as a blood slave.”

He nodded.

108

Brooke took half a step back. “Won’t my blood turn you Feral, make you lose control?”

Nikolai sighed. “It’s a rumor Vampires started after the war. It gave humans a sense of safety and control. Drinking blood doesn’t drive us crazy, Brooke. Vampires have been drinking human blood since the beginning of time.” Brooke frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“We never stopped drinking from willing donors, we’ve just kept it very discreet and quiet to not frighten humans. We can live off synth-blood, but real human blood is filled with life and spirit. It keeps us linked to this reality.”

“Nikolai drinks from me regularly.” Galen smiled. “It is one of the most erotic experiences you can imagine.”

“Unfortunately, we don’t have time to add sex and pleasure.” He rose and cupped Brooke’s cheek. “I will make it as enjoyable as possible for you.” For once neither his heat nor his luscious scent garnered a response. Brooke remained frozen. “You’ve snowed the whole of humanity? What else are you lying about?”

He didn’t physically move, but distance stretched between them.

She regretted her words, but the tachyon bomb he’d just dropped was hard to swallow.

“Brooke, we fought for our survival when we signed the treaty with the Coalition.

We had no choice but to agree.”

She studied him and Galen. Trusting them meant she not only risked her heart, but her life. The men remained inscrutable.
She
had to make her decision. They wouldn’t try to defend themselves or persuade her.

She didn’t believe they’d take her into danger lightly. Brooke exhaled. She ignored the stubborn little worry nagging at the back of her mind. “All right. How do we do this?”

Some of the tension left the men, but her hesitation had hurt them. Brooke couldn’t think of a way to make it up to them right now.

Nikolai pulled her onto his lap. “I could take blood from the wrist, but as a pleasure companion as well as a blood slave he wouldn’t believe that.” Brooke read the worry in his eyes. Deep inside her where the connection to him lived couldn’t stand it and relaxed. She leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. “Nothing you do will scare me away.”

An infinitesimal tension flowed out of him. Brooke tilted her head and waited. He kissed her neck and her nipples turned hard. He scraped his fangs across her skin and her juices flooded her underwear.

Nikolai chuckled.

Brooke wasn’t embarrassed by her response. This was Nikolai.

109

His fangs dug into her neck and Brooke nearly exploded. His bite shot through every part of her body and when Galen kneeled between her legs and massaged her clit through her pants, she flew apart.

It was over that quickly.

Brooke slumped against him, panting. “So much for not adding sex and pleasure,” she mumbled.

Nikolai kissed her on the lips. She tasted her blood on his tongue, but instead of disgusting her it drove home the point that part of her now ran through Nikolai’s body.

She was literally part of him.

And she loved it.

110

The
Mercy
, a boxy Delta-Design, didn’t maneuver with enough agility in low orbit.

They took the shuttle once they’d cloaked the ship on the outskirts of Wadhwa. In an attempt to keep her mind focused on things other than their insane plan Brooke spent the majority of the short flight studying the gorgeous landscape through the viewport.

The forests and mountains of Wadhwa, interspersed by rivers and lakes, had none of the civilized air of Botannia, but showed an edge that appealed to her.

They landed outside the small community, the landing strip basic. HoverTrans waited and took them to Galen and Nikolai’s house. Galen had called it small, but what centuries-old Naema and Vampires described as small and what Brooke thought of as such didn’t quite match. Six bedrooms, four bathrooms and various libraries, studies and sunrooms did not equal small.

The house was gorgeous, light and airy with more windows and skylights than she’d ever seen. Masculine furniture complemented the design and never looked heavy or dark. She could see herself living here without having to make changes.

Her jaw dropped when she walked into the master bedroom. Half the
Nebokka
could have fit comfortably into the large chamber. A spaceball team could party on the bed without bumping into each other.

Maybe it was a slight exaggeration, but not by much.

Nikolai had sent a message, telling Silas he was in town and would like to meet.

The other Vampire had replied swiftly. He invited Nikolai for the same afternoon.

“He wants to know what we know,” Galen said.

Everybody agreed.

Nikolai helped Brooke select her wardrobe. Much to Brooke’s surprise he’d made some incredible choices. Her measurements were on file, making it easy for the computer to manufacture the dresses.

For the first encounter, she wore a deep purple-blue garment, which matched her eyes. It covered her from head to toe, even had a small collar pretending to cover the bite mark on her neck. Brooke followed the lines of her strong body, her hands luxuriating in the soft feel of the material. She had never before worn something so intensely feminine and part of her wished for her flight suit and weapons belt. But another part of her came close to purring in delight.

Brooke straightened her shoulders and exhaled. She could do this.

It helped when Galen’s and Nikolai’s eyes heated up as she walked down the stairs.

Two long slits at the side, cleverly hidden so her legs didn’t play peekaboo, allowed movement. Brooke had been adamant she needed to be able to fight if it came to it, 111

which is why the heels on her stilettos were removable, leaving her in easy-to-maneuver-on flats.

“You look absolutely gorgeous.” Galen whirled her into his arms and kissed her breathless. Brooke felt his heat as though she were naked. Nikolai stroked down her back and her ass, worsening her breathlessness and strengthening her wish they could play in the spaceball field disguised as a bed upstairs.

“I knew this would suit you.” He kissed the sensitive spot between neck and shoulder.

A shiver ran down Brooke’s spine and she stepped back. “Down, boys. If you want me to have the odd brain cell left, you need to cut it out.” The men chuckled and Nikolai stole a quick kiss before both pulled away, giving Brooke an opportunity to admire their wardrobe. During her studies of old Earth she’d learned about its popular culture, which included a debonair spy called James Bond.

Her men reminded her of images she’d seen of the character.

Before they stepped outside and into the waiting transport, Galen stopped her. “Are you sure you’re ready? We can figure out something else.”

“Or just kill Silas,” Nikolai suggested.

“No.” Brooke shook her head. Her palms were sweaty, but she swallowed her anxiety. “We need information on the whole network, not just his part. I also want to find the people they’ve sold. We can’t leave them to suffer more than they already have.”

Her men nodded and led her to the waiting transport.

* * * * *

Nikolai wasn’t happy, but forcing Brooke to stay behind would have damaged their relationship, possibly irreparably. He suppressed a sigh as they travelled to Silas’

mansion.

He wished she didn’t look quite so incredible. When he’d chosen her wardrobe he aimed for clothes that gave her the appearance of harmless arm candy. He hadn’t planned for his response or his possessive attitude. He didn’t want anybody looking at her, let alone Silas’ greedy eyes.

Galen leaned over Brooke, who sat between them, and gripped his hand. They would not leave her alone. One of them would be with her every second of the afternoon. Nikolai still had a premonition of darkness, a fear he would not be able to protect her.

There was no plan B.

They arrived at the mansion. It was the largest in the community. Silas always had to be a little bit bigger and better than everybody around him. He had been made a Vampire, not been born, and tended to compensate in his own way.

A butler greeted them at the door and led them to a large study.

112

This looks as if we’ve traveled through time and ended up in old Earth history
, Brooke said in their heads. Her initiation of contact increased Nikolai’s heart rate. His blood traveled south.

He had to agree. Massive wooden bookcases filled with antique-looking books lined the walls. The desk took up most of one wall and next to the computer piles of paper sat in untidy stacks. He snorted when he saw an inkwell and two quill pens sitting next to it. Talk about being authentic.

The wall above the desk had been decorated with ancient weapons. Swords, battleaxes and morning stars graced the wall. Smaller knives and dirks took up a quarter of the space. Even a couple of spears had made it up there.

A smaller door to the right opened. Silas walked in. He was shorter than Galen and Nikolai. His dirty-blond hair had been slicked back from his face, showing his beak-like nose and bad skin to a disadvantage. His thin lips displayed a cruel edge his smile couldn’t hide.

To Nikolai’s surprise Silas had toned down his clothing. Where he used to wear over-the-top fashion, he now dressed all in black in a hand-tailored suit. The material and the fact it wasn’t machine-made showed his expensive taste, but he no longer resembled the caricature he’d often been as a younger Vampire.

“Nikolai, what a surprise. You haven’t been back in ages.” Silas walked over, his hands stretched out in welcome. “How long has it been?” Nikolai suppressed his disgust and shook the other Vampire’s hand. “Close to a century. How are you, old friend?”

Silas’ beady brown eyes moved over Galen and Brooke. He didn’t respond to Brooke’s presence. He had to have a live feed at the transport station and knew of their arrival before Nikolai contacted him.

“I am just fine. Who have you brought me here?”

“May I introduce my lifemate Galen?”

“Your lifemate?” The other Vampire pretended surprise. “I hadn’t known you played for the other team, Niko.”

Nikolai shrugged. “I play for all teams.”

Silas chuckled. “So I see. Who’s the beauty at the back?” Nikolai didn’t turn around. His instructions to Brooke had been clear. She was supposed to behave submissive and stay behind both Galen and himself. “A project we’re working on,” was his only response.

Silas’ brows shot up. “I find myself intrigued.” His gaze narrowed on Brooke’s neck where Nikolai’s bite was only halfway hidden behind the small collar. “You appear to play a dangerous game, old friend.”

Nikolai prayed Brooke would understand his dismissive manner was an act. He shrugged and sank into one of the chairs before Silas’ desk. “Galen, how about you and Brooke go out and admire the gardens? Silas’ landscaping is a masterpiece.” 113

Galen leaned down and kissed Nikolai before taking Brooke’s hand. “With pleasure. I’ll leave you to catch up.”

Silas called the butler and instructed him to look after Galen and Brooke.

Once they were alone, he poured two glasses of blood and sat in the oversized chair behind his desk. “What in Jade’s name has turned Nikolai, the defender of the universe, into a Vampire openly drinking from a human? As soon as one of the others sees it, they’ll rat you out to the Council.”

Nikolai shrugged. “If she wasn’t with us, she’d be in solitary confinement in a High Sec prison. Believe me, no human will cry over our treatment of her, but I’m still gathering intel. As long as she’s useful I don’t want her to know we seduced her for a purpose. Human females tend to be emotional.”

Silas leaned forward. “My curiosity has been piqued. What kind of information is she holding back from you and how? A powerful Vampire like you should be able to read her like an open data port.”

Nikolai took a sip of blood and ignored the jab. “I can’t say too much, it’s an open investigation. Though the bloody Council can go fuck itself,” he muttered the last under his breath, but loud enough the other Vampire heard. “She has an unusual shield, which is why I’ve begun to drink from her. The established connection gets me closer to breaking her shield.”

“Is she this captain who was the only survivor after a freak explosion on a merchant vessel?”

Nikolai changed the subject. “What have you been up to these last few decades, Silas? Still working on expanding your trade routes?” A satisfied smile played around Silas’ lips as he followed Nikolai’s direction and talked about himself.

Nikolai continued the small talk for another thirty minutes or so before he stood.

“I’m sorry to cut this short, but I have to go back to work.” He let anger and frustration shimmer in his eyes.

Silas rose too. “How about you come back tonight? I’m having a small gathering, just a few friends. Bring your lifemate and your project. It’ll give you a few hours to be surrounded by likeminded people and away from your problems.”

“Gladly.” He turned to the door. “By the way, have you heard from Miguel Calatrave? He disappeared off the face of the galaxy, no word, no life sign and he hasn’t been to any of his usual hangouts. None of my sources have been able to track him. You have your fingers in so many pies. Any ideas?”

He turned in time to see malicious gloating flash through Silas’ eyes. “Really? And I always thought your sources were infallible.”

Nikolai wanted to frown, but kept his face expressionless. He’d only mentioned the Spaniard to play to Silas’ superiority complex, but the delight displayed by the other Vampire worried him.

114

“You’ll be glad to know I indeed have been in contact with Calatrave. We’re in a highly satisfying business connection.”

Jade, the Spaniard is part of this?
Calatrave had a brain like a computer, an IQ far beyond the average and was a master strategist. If he was a leading member of this trafficking ring, they were in even deeper shit than Nikolai thought.

But that would be a problem for another day.

Nikolai smiled. “I’m glad. Please give him my regards the next time you see him.” Silas nodded. They exchanged meaningless pleasantries and met Galen and Brooke at the main entrance. “Did you enjoy the gardens?”

“They were as beautiful as you’ve described them,” Galen replied and kissed Nikolai. Brooke stuck to her role and remained silent behind them.

“I’m glad.” He shook Silas’ hand. “I will see you tonight.”

“Indeed.”

The butler opened the door and guided them to their waiting HoverTrans. When Nikolai looked back, satisfaction practically poured off Silas’ body.

The other Vampire had accepted their story.

* * * * *

On the trip home Galen stayed in character and described the grounds in excruciating detail, in case the HoverTrans carried a recording device.

Brooke’s thoughts whirled through her mind like a never-ending vortex. Seeing the bastard had made her want to jump across the ridiculous desk and stake him through the heart.

But gathering information was more important than her revenge. The whole enterprise needed to be stopped.

Her stomach rolled. There had been something in Silas’ eyes that had shivers racing down her back. Nikolai might think he’d be fine, but she wasn’t as certain.

Then there was the distance the men had put up. Since their return to the house, Nikolai hadn’t even touched her hand. Instead he’d walked out of the room, saying he needed to update his team leader Darius and check their security. The dark worry they’d lied and were in fact using her would not go away.

Galen sat next to her on the sofa. He cupped her nape and caressed the sensitive skin. The heat of his touch raced through her like lava. Her nipples hardened and she grew wet.

“What are you worried about?” he asked.

Brooke leaned into the caress. His touch raised her heart rate and had butterflies dancing in her stomach. Not that his presence alone didn’t do those things, but the tenderness ratcheted everything up a notch. “I’m worried Nikolai is not taking the danger seriously enough. I have a bad feeling.”

115

Galen studied her face.

Brooke bit her lip, hoping he wouldn’t see through her.

He leaned close and soothed that same lip with his tongue. “If you’re worried, we will have to make sure he considers every move before he makes it.” She released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d held. Brooke kissed him, sliding her tongue into his mouth.