TangledHunger (5 page)

Did she really want to give up this opportunity to
experience more than she probably would in a lifetime? He didn’t look as if he
would give her another chance if she said no now.

Sydney always told her to live a little.

Tanasha cleared her throat. “I would enjoy having dinner
with you tonight.”

Some of the tension drained away but his pursed lips and
lowered brows remained.

She struggled for a neutral subject. “Have you noticed how
unusually warm for the time of year it is?”

Duncan remained silent. However, he nodded and his lips
twitched.

Slick, Nasha, very sophisticated. The weather. Seriously?

“We should get going,” Tanasha said, attempting to smooth
her hair. She was a mess. “I
¼
I need a
moment.”

He raised his brow, strode to the transport and pulled her
bag out for her. For a moment she was grateful they’d ended up on an
uninhabited stretch of road between Districts. She gestured at him.

He rolled his eyes and turned his back on her.

With quick strokes she restored her hair and checked her
face. The PermaUp had done its job. Nothing was smeared or out of place. She
lifted her wings higher, creating a barricade between them as she used a tissue
to clean herself up. Not as much as she would have liked, but they didn’t have
time for her to go home, shower and change.

Tanasha felt better when she turned back to Duncan. He still
had his back to her. For some reason that made her smile. She cleared her
throat.

He turned around and opened the transport door for her.

Her wings flickered once like a bad holo image and then
vanished before she climbed inside. Duncan followed and took his seat next to
her, his leg touching hers. His shoulder rubbed along hers as he restarted the
transport.

A shiver of excitement ran through Tanasha. She wasn’t sure
what she let herself in for, but she hadn’t felt this energized in ages. For
once she actually participated in life rather than watching from the sidelines.

Chapter Three

Duncan enjoyed the feel of her next to him.

She had been one step away from ending this before it even
started. Under normal circumstances he had too much pride to follow where he
wasn’t wanted, but he wasn’t so sure if he could have let her go if she
demanded it.

He studied her out of the corner of his eye. The slight
flush he brought to her cheeks was still there, but the stiffness had left her
body. She now relaxed into the seat and didn’t try to put an imaginary wall
between them.

He found his little finger tapping against his leg and
squelched the tell. Why had she been so hesitant to agree to dinner? It was as
if she’d had to overcome some great fear before she allowed herself to say yes.

Duncan’s hands turned into fists. If some
scecxi
had
hurt her, he would go out and drink him dry. Tanasha was sturdy enough, but
underlying her backbone of steel was a vulnerability he knew some men would
want to take advantage of.

They arrived at the District gates before he had a chance to
question her. He slumped in his seat and moved his arm around her shoulders.
She hesitated for a moment but then rested against him and allowed him to play
with her lush hair.

To his surprise her tension didn’t abate. She appeared
relaxed and in control, but her right hand, the one hidden from view of the
Guard officer, clenched into a tight fist. When the officer pinned him with a
gaze that he probably thought would make Duncan’s knees shake, he leaned closer
to Tanasha and nibbled at her ear.

She took a small breath. “Officer, add Duncan O’Clare to my
Preferred Visitor list.”

The officer actually gaped. “You want to give a
Vampire
unrestricted access?”

Her expression gave nothing away, actually became haughty
enough to give the most arrogant Naema Duncan had ever seen a run for his
credits. But her hidden fist clenched even tighter.

He put his hand over hers. She softened a little against him
but her expression remained calm.

Tanasha raised a brow. “I believe that is what I just said.
If you cannot cope with such a simple task, I will have to ask your supervisor
to take over.”

The boy stiffened. His face hardened. He made some
adjustments on his small hand-held comp. “I am certain you understand this is
highly irregular.”

Ice covered Tanasha’s voice in a thick layer. “I don’t
believe I asked for your opinion.” She turned away and Duncan instructed the
transport to continue on its journey. The officer’s eyes bore into the back of
his neck.

“That was fun,” he said.

Tanasha slumped against him and snorted. “Totally. They’re
so excited, they’ll call together a fan club just for you.”

Duncan smiled. His little Naema didn’t like confrontations,
but the synth-steel backbone he sensed made an appearance when necessary. For
some reason that made him horny. He nuzzled her cheek and inhaled her delicious
scent. “And that’s just what I wanted.”

He captured her lips in a kiss that went from light and
teasing to mind-blowing in under a second. Her taste and heat sank inside him,
sank into dark and shadowy corners he’d kept hidden from everybody.

Tanasha moaned and leaned closer, her fingers thrusting into
his hair. He pulled her onto his lap. Her luscious weight, her beautiful
breasts rubbing against his chest made him wish they were anywhere but on their
way to see a villain.

Duncan pulled back. “Nasha.” He groaned when she rubbed
against him. He bit her lower lip. “Nasha,” he said again, this time louder.

She panted and looked at him with glazed eyes.

He cupped her face. “We’re nearly here. Would you like me to
reprogram the transport for the scenic route?”

Tanasha frowned. He knew when the realization dawned. She
turned bright red.

He kissed her hot cheek. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed
about, Nasha. You can’t imagine how desperately I hope you will choose the
scenic route.”

Some of the heat faded and she gave him a shy smile. “Maybe
¼
maybe you
¼
you
could
¼
you could hold that thought?”

Duncan wanted to murder the
scecxi
who had put this
hesitation, this doubt into the beautiful, sensual woman on his lap. “Honey,
holding the thought will be no problem at all. It will dominate my mind until
the moment we have opportunity to continue.”

With one last quick kiss he helped her slide from his lap,
missing her the instant she was no longer in his arms.

She didn’t get a chance to respond. The transport stopped
outside a two-story elegant white mansion. The yard surrounding the building
was well tended with a number of beautiful and colorful flowering beds.

An at-least-seven-foot-tall ornamental steel fence encircled
the building. The gap between the individual slats was wide enough to see through,
but Duncan had a feeling the sharp spikes on top of the fence weren’t purely
decorative. It included a double-gate entrance. A wide vehicle road ran
parallel to a meandering footpath, both ending at the massive front door.

“Let me guess, he needs the double gate to fit himself and
his ego through the door.”

A quick smile brushed her lips. “You’re not far off. He
ordered the fence set up about three weeks before the wedding, shortly after
everybody fell in love with him.”

She took his hand and led him to a smaller gate a few steps
away from the main gate. When they stepped through, Duncan felt a chill run
down his spine.

And he wasn’t the only one.

“You felt it too.” Tanasha tightened her grip.

He brought her hand to his lips. “Like somebody running an
ice cube down your naked back.”

Her breath caught and she dropped her gaze. “You are the
first one to feel it, nobody else has. They keep telling me it’s my
imagination.”

Duncan cupped her cheek in his palm and tilted her chin up
before brushing a small kiss against her full lips. “I don’t know if I would
have felt it without our link. I’ve always been sensitive to magic, but this is
something else. It feels like a kind of influence spell. It opens the mind and
makes it easier for the caster to manipulate his victims.”

Tanasha’s hand clenched around his. “So he can manipulate
everybody. What the Jade does he want?”

Duncan kissed her hand and propelled her forward. “Let’s
find out.”

They walked up to the front door. It opened before they had
a chance to knock and a maid-bot greeted them. “The master is free to see you.
Please follow me.”

Where the outside had seemed somewhat quaint and a little
old-fashioned, the interior was the complete opposite. Stark and modern
finishes of steel and other metals ran throughout the house. They didn’t match
the curvy lines or sunny windows, but created a tension in Duncan’s chest, an
imbalance he found disturbing.

And I’ve never had much interest in interior design.
“Let me try something.” He released her hand and took half a step aside so they
no longer touched.

The sense of disturbance vanished. He still didn’t like the
house very much, but he no longer worried about interior design. Duncan clasped
Tanasha’s hand again. “It’s you,” he whispered, nuzzling her cheek in case they
were under surveillance. She tensed, but relaxed as he continued speaking. “You
help me see the imbalance in this place. Who is the designer?”

“Marius. He continuously complained how antiquated and staid
Sydney’s house was. I don’t know what happened, except that at one point she
gave in and let him change everything.”

“He should never been let close to the design comp. What is
this supposed to be? Minimalists ‘R’ Us or Stark and Bleak?” He said the words
loud enough to be heard on any microphone that might be listening in.

For a moment Tanasha rested her head against his chest.
“Thank you.”

He kissed her hair. “What for?”

“For making me smile.”

“You’re welcome.” He put his arm around her shoulders and
followed the maid-bot, his eyes never staying still and taking in every detail
around him. “What’s with the crystals?”

“They’re from a small moon circling one of the outer
planets. Marius part-owns a mine up there and Sydney likes how they sparkle.”

They stopped next to a metal side table and Duncan lifted
his hand to pick up a faceted clear crystal. Before he could touch the
sparkling rock he got a massive shock, as if he’d stuck his finger in a power
outlet. “Ouch!” He shook his hand. “It zapped me.”

“I’m not surprised. With all this metal, static probably
builds up continuously.”

Duncan nodded and they continued on. He didn’t think the
shock was just static build-up. He remained quiet as they reached beautiful
double doors, each with decorative stained glass at its center.

The maid-bot opened them and led them into a large open-plan
room. The horrible décor continued, but the views through the big windows and
the high ceiling showed how beautiful the room had once been.

The Naema who had to be Marius stood with a group of other
Naemas. He was nearly as tall as Duncan, but dressed as if he was about to meet
the ArchNaema Council and their families. His brown hair could probably be used
as a hammer with all the product in it making it hard as a rock. His shirt and
trousers appeared handcrafted and decorated. He wore a ring on his right hand,
the crystal at its center large enough to draw Duncan’s eye.

The Naema stepped away from his followers and approached
Tanasha with his hands stretched out before him. The large ring reflected
rainbow colors on the empty white walls surrounding them. “Tanasha, it is such
a pleasure to see you again. How are you, my dear?” Marius Villette widened his
arms as if to hug her. She stepped behind Duncan, who pulled her closer and
grabbed one of the outstretched hands with his own. When his fingers bumped
into the large crystal he received another, smaller shock.

“Estimable Villette, what a pleasure to meet you. I am only
sorry it is under these circumstances.” He shook the Naema’s hand with
exaggerated enthusiasm.

The host’s effusiveness cooled visibly. He released Duncan’s
hand quickly and wiped it on his trousers. Then he clasped his hands behind his
back and swayed on his heels. “And you are?”

“Duncan O’Clare. I ran into sweet Tanasha when she came
looking for a PI. She told me that your wife disappeared and was so distraught
I had to take the case.” He winked at the slimebag before him, pretending he
didn’t really believe Tanasha’s story.

Some of the tension drained out of Villette, but the Naema
watched him as if he were something that needed to be scraped off the bottom of
his shoes. His eyes kept returning to Duncan’s arm around Tanasha.

Duncan moved his fingers to her neck and gently caressed the
soft skin.

Marius narrowed his gaze.

At first Duncan assumed the Naema’s tension came from having
a Vampire in the room, but now another thought came to mind.

His caressing fingers wandered from Tanasha’s neck to her
earlobe to the underside of her chin. She leaned into his hand, demonstrating
her enjoyment.

Marius never took his eyes off Duncan’s fingers and when
Tanasha leaned closer, the Naema’s lips pinched.

Now, isn’t that interesting.

“There is no need for a PI and even if there was, we would
not require the likes of you.”

“Be that as it may, the Honorable Omeiko asked for my help
and as she is the one paying the bill, I’d love to ask you some questions.”

“Please, Marius,” Tanasha spoke up. “I know you think I’m
crazy, but even if Sydney is only on a pleasure trip I need to know for sure.
You may not be worried, but I am.”

Villette smiled at Tanasha and bowed. “Certainly, my dear.
For you I will do this.” He held out his arm. “Let me guide you to a seat where
the Vampire can ask me his silly questions.”

Duncan didn’t want to give up his hold on Tanasha. His gut
told him that would be a very bad idea. Instead he decided to have some fun.
“Villette, kaveri”. He patted the Naema’s shoulder. The colloquial use of
“friend” was an obvious insult. Villette looked as if he was about to pull the
dagger at his waist. “I’ll take delicious Tanasha where she needs to go.” He
jabbed his elbow in the other man’s side. “There are some unexpected bennies to
working for her.” He winked again and dragged Tanasha to a two-seater. His jab
may have been harder than necessary, but his conscience was clear.

“This good for you?” He dropped onto the sofa and pulled
Tanasha into his embrace. Then he kicked a footstool to Villette. “There you
go, isn’t this comfy?”

Tanasha rested her head against his chest, but not before he
saw the smile she desperately attempted to hide.

Villette strode after them and pulled a matching armchair
over, kicking the helpless footstool aside.

Temper, temper.
Duncan kept his fool smile on his
face. “So, when is the last time you saw your runaway bride?”

Villette leaned forward in his chair and began to play with
his crystal ring. The sunlight streaming in through the big windows made it
shimmer with all the colors under the sun. The rainbow sparkles mesmerized him,
made him want to get closer.

“Sydney disappeared two days after our wedding. She’d been
happy and excited about our celebration, but I also felt her restlessness.
Sydney wants to settle down, but I think part of her was scared. I wasn’t
surprised when she took off. She needed to get the fear out of her system
before she could calm down beside me for the rest of our lives.”

Duncan’s arm slid off Tanasha’s shoulder and he no longer
touched her skin.

Villette actually looks like a nice guy. Maybe Nasha is
wrong and his wife really took one last trip.
The sunlight played through the
crystal and threw reflections against the wall.